168 



DRY LAND FARMING 



On cultivated crops the dust mulch is maintained, 

 first, by the aid of the harrow, and, second, by that of 

 some form of cultivator. On these, as on the summer-fal- 

 low, the aim should be to .prevent encrustation above and 

 below. This will involve stirring the soil after every con- 

 siderable rain. The results would be better could it be 

 stirred after every rain, but in practise this may not be 

 practicable. In dry weather, when no cracks are present 

 in the soil or any encrustations above or below, there 

 would not seem to be any advantage from stirring the 

 soil. On cereal crops, the aim should be to prevent en- 

 crustation until the leaves shade the soil. 



THE SIXTY-PENNY SPIKE TOOTH WOODEN HOME MADE HARROW. 



The summer-fallow in dry areas. The summer-fal- 

 low in dry areas means land that has been plowed the 

 previous autumn, or some time during the spring or 

 early summer, and is then kept more or less free from 

 weed growth subsequently by some form jof cultivation, 

 until the season has arrived for sowing on it an autumn 

 or a spring crop. Because of the amount of surface 

 cultivation given to the soil when thus fallow, it is fre- 

 quently spoken of as summer-tilled land. The term fal- 

 low implies that the soil is idle during the period of 

 tillage, but to this idea there is the exception that in 



