350 DRY FARMING 



since most of the moisture lost during a fallow season is 

 by the growth of weeds. The land to be summerfallowed 

 is sometimes double-disked in the fall after the crop is 

 removed, but more frequently, on account of lack of time 

 in the fall, this operation is delayed until spring when 

 it is done either during the progress of seeding or im- 

 mediately after. This disking covers weed seeds and 

 grain so that they grow readily. It kills millions of 

 small weeds just starting and it breaks up the crust and 

 leaves a light mulch on t^e surface. Such a surface makes 

 a much better connection with the bottom of the furrow 

 when the land is plowed than one that is hard, cracked 

 and lumpy. In some seasons it may be advisable in order 

 to control weeds to disc a second time any land that is 

 not plowed reasonably early, but usually one double- 

 disking is sufficient. 



305. Plow Summerfallow Early. — The plowing of the 

 summerfallow is started immediately after seeding and 

 an effort made to have it completed before July. No 

 single operation in summerfallowing is so important as 

 plowing, so that care is taken to do the work well, turn- 

 ing a furrow of from six to eight inches deep depending 

 upon how deep the land was plowed previously. Only a 

 little subsoil is brought to the surface at each plowing. 

 Immediately after plowing the land is packed by using 

 either a subsurface packer or a disc run straight or one 

 notch back. The packing is more perfectly done when the 

 land is fresh-plowed, so that an effort is made to have 

 the packing done the same day as the plowing. 



306. Controlling Weeds After Plowing. — After the 

 plowing and packing of the fallow is done little more 

 attention will need to be given for three weeks or a month 

 when weeds begin to appear. A start must be made at 



