130 DRY LAND FARMING 



ture in it. The work can then be done with a minimum 

 expenditure of power, and there is time for weathering 

 influences to become operative before the planting of the 

 crop that follows. The aim should be also to plow the 

 land more deeply when preparing it for certain crops 

 .than when preparing it for other crops. Deep plowing 

 is specially beneficial to alfalfa, corn, root crops and 

 trees. As a rule gradual deepening of the plowing is 

 preferable to sudden deepening, as it gives greater op- 

 portunity for weathering influences to operate on the 

 raw soil. It is also more important relatively that land 

 shall be plowed deeply in the fall than in the spring, as 

 the soil has more time to settle firmly below than if 

 spring plowed. 



While in dry areas the aim should be to plow deep- 

 ly on average soil, there are some exceptions to the 

 method which plows deeply. These apply only to cer- 

 tain soils and soil conditions. Land should not be plowed 

 deeply (1) where the soil is shallow or poor below, or 

 where the elements of fertility are largely in an unavail- 

 able form; especially should this be avoided where too 

 much lime or gypsum lies near the surface. The gradual 

 deepening of a soil possessed of a reasonable amount of 

 fertility, though largely in the inert form, will greatly im- 

 prove it in time. (2) Where the conditions present ren- 

 der the work over-costly and difficult. These conditions 

 are such as relate to soils hard and dry, to the use of 

 plows not suited to such work, and to the lack of strength 

 in the teams that do the work. Were it not for the 

 extra cost, it would be better to plow deeply even when 

 soils are dry and hard, especially in the autumn, but 

 there is a limit to the cost of plowing, beyond which 

 it may be unwise to go. Furthermore, when dry land 

 is plowed deeply, even in the autumn, there may be 

 seasons in which the dry soil thus loosened may not wet 

 down far enough to become sufficiently impacted for. the 



