XX 



WHEN TO PLOW, AND HOW DEEP 



PLOWING cannot always be done under the best condi- 

 tions. It must ordinarily extend over a considerable 

 period, during which conditions may pass from one 

 extreme to the other. It goes without saying that the 

 farmer should endeavor to do the bulk of his work at a time 

 when the desired objects can be most effectively accomplished. 

 Climate, latitude, altitude and crops all influence the time of 

 plowing. To assist the new farmer in planning his season's 

 work, the United States Department of Agriculture has collected 

 from all portions of the country the usual dates of various crop 

 operations. If one does not have this information, it is safe to 

 follow the practice of the best farmers in the neighborhood, 

 but better still is a knowledge of the effects of plowing, so 

 that if for any reason the farmer wishes to plow out of season, 

 he can judge for himself the fitness of the soil. 



Most farmers know that soils are composed of particles of 

 rock of varying size and composition, with a certain amount of 

 organic matter derived from the decay of animal and vegetable 

 tissues. Varying amounts of water are held upon the sur- 

 faces of the soil kernels in films of greater or less thickness, 

 though occasionally the spaces between the soil grains may be 

 entirely filled. There is a certain amount of mineral matter 

 normally in solution, but often deposited upon the soil particles 

 by the evaporation of water. King adds that in most soils, 

 particularly the clayey types, there occurs some aluminium 

 silicate, combined with water, which gives these soils their 



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