154 DRY LAND FARMING 



that is being summer-fallowed. The alfalfa cultivator 

 has special adaptation for loosening alfalfa soils to a 

 greater depth than would be easily practicable with the 

 ordinary disc. Owing to the peculiar shape of the teeth 

 they do but little harm to the plants. The alfalfa reno- 

 vator stirs the soil more fully than the alfalfa cultivator, 

 but not to so great a depth. It also will break up the 

 hard crust that forms beneath the surface in some soils. 

 The surface cultivator has special adaptation for freeing 

 the land from weeds in cultivated crops where it is not 

 desirable or necessary to cultivate deeply. The spike 

 tooth cultivator is specially helpful in breaking up the 

 undercrust that in so many instances forms in cultivated 

 land under the dust mulch. 



The spring tooth cultivator should not be used on 

 land where the disc will accomplish the work more ef- 

 fectively. The Climax cultivator should not be used or- 

 dinarily on summer-fallow land when it can be kept clean 

 with the disc and harrow. The alfalfa cultivator should 

 not be used on alfalfa fields at any time when the soil 

 is unduly moist or when it will tend too much to stimu- 

 late growth on the approach of winter. The surface 

 cultivator should not be used on corn or other crops to 

 destroy weeds that have become so deeply rooted as to 

 call for some kind of shovel teeth to dislodge them unless 

 indeed such teeth can be used on the same, nor should 

 it be used when its further use would break down the 

 corn plants to any considerable extent. The spike tooth 

 cultivator should not be depended on alone to clean 

 weedy land. This it cannot do without involving an 

 undue amount of labor. 



Harrows and their uses. While there are several 

 styles of harrows in ordinary use, it would seem correct 

 to say that only three of these are specially suited to the 

 needs of dry areas. These are: (1) the adjustable spike 

 tooth steel lever harrow, (2) the weeder, and (3) the 



