THE TILLAGE OF STUBBLE LAND 157 



light lever harrows the same day the plowing was done, 

 was 1 bus. 57 lbs. in the average of a large number of 

 tests over a period of several years. It is evi- 

 dent that on soils that blow as well as on those that 

 run together and bake readily in the spring similar re- 

 sults would seldom obtain. On normal soils, however, 

 and particularly on spring plowing either harrowing or 

 packing as soon as possible after plowing is a very im- 

 portant and necessary operation. 



Various methods are followed to try to prevent the 

 drying out of the plowed furrow. The simplest is har- 

 rowing as soon as the -plowing is done; another is to 

 harrow at once, then pack and then harrow ; a third, to 

 pack with a packer attachment to the plow, then follow 

 with a plank drag or scrubber and then the harrow. On 

 fall plowing that has been well worked down ridging 

 with a cultivator is sometimes practised. 



The practical man must, however, keep in mind that 

 while normally the more intelligent tillage that is ap- 

 plied the greater the yield is likely to be, yet a paying 

 increase in yield from the excessive tillage of stubble 

 land in dry areas is not by any means assured, while the 

 extra cost cannot by any chance be evaded. The ques- 

 tion is not one of yield alone, but one of net return. 

 There yet remains much work to be done before the most 

 efficient combination of tillage practices and sequence of 

 operations can be definitely stated for all soil types in all 

 climatic zones of the West. 



130. The Furrow Slice Should be Placed Firmly Against 

 the Furrow Bottom, — In humid climates the practice of 

 turning the furrow over flat is not considered advisable 

 for the reason that the soil is likely to run together and 

 become too hard. In semi-arid regions, except on a few 



