150 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



April, VJ-2]. 



eriziug actii)ii. When the soil is very wet, as it often 

 is in the Sprin<i-, or very dry as it often is in the Fall, 

 we do not get this fhieiy pulverized condition. There 

 is an ideal condition and in summer following we 

 usually get good results as the soil is neither too wet 

 nor too dry. Perhaps you never realized that a plow 

 had i\. pulverizing action on the soil at all. We want an 

 even top so that the least possible surface will be ex- 

 posed to the drying influence of the sun and wind. 

 When the land is ridged it will dry out quicker, be- 

 cause more surface is exposed. We do not want high 

 crowns and deep dead furrows as we had in Ontario, 

 or jierhaps, in Scotland, because we have no surface 

 water to get rid of. 



The Strike Out. 



A fad, you say. Oh, no. You say you have no time. 



Then I say you are a poor business man. It only 



means one round more and you get all the weeds and 



we need to get them and get them youilg. As one 



clear. At a plowing match for example, stakes (which 

 are numbered) are placed at each end of the field. The 

 round dots indicate the feering poles which are set up 

 as desired, to get a straight strike out. There is an- 

 other method of striking out, but if every farmer woidd 

 see that his lands are opened up as shown, it would 

 be a long step toward better farminpr methods. 

 Unmatched Furrows. 

 Sometimes called "paired furrows," "uneven fur- 

 row backs." In ot^iier words a .shallow furrow and a 

 deeper furrow in" pairs. By considering .some of the 

 causes of this very common fault we will now proceed 

 to discuss some practical difficulties which experts 

 have to deal with every day. We will take them in 

 the following order: 



1. Front plow cutting too wide. 



2. Plows not cutting the same depth. 



3. Colters not properly set. 



4. 15ail support moved. 



^ .McThODoF Striking OUT A LAND 



Stakes Set Im Ready 



To Start 



First RouriD 



I'Mgurc 2. 



passes along a road in the middle of winter, on every 

 side there are long rows, very often "crooked as a 

 dog's hind leg", of M'eeds, indicating that the man 

 had simply driven into the field and let the plow rip 

 any old wa>-. The result— half a day has to be spent 

 finishing up "ends". You know what I mean. (See 

 Fig. 2). Suppose you wish to plow 5 inches deep, then 

 after setting up your stakes you proceed to throw out 

 two furrows about 3 inches deep. "Haw" around and 

 throw out other two furrows. You then have what 

 looks like a .shallow finish. Now "Gee" round and 

 throw back the furrows and keep on gethering up the 

 land, gradually increasing the depth. By the time you 

 have reached the third round .v«u should be down to 

 the desired depth. All the weeds are cut and you have 

 a level crown. The illustration will make the point 



5. Sprung beams. 



6. Hitch not right — side draft. 



Front Plow Cutting Too Wide. 



In this enlightened age would .you believe that a 

 man would be content to sit on a bag of hay for 10 

 hours a day and see his 14-incli two-furrow gang plow 

 cut 38 inches? The writer saw it. The man had not 

 lime to visit a "Better Farming Train", which was 

 visiting his town and was actuall.v at the time within 

 a stone's thro.w. He knew it all. The weeds were 

 four feet high, the moisture had been all evaporated 

 and "cut and cover" would have been a better name 

 for the operation than plowing. (See Pig. 3.) 



Wear al the i)()ints XX Mill allow some play between 

 the front vertical axle and the sleeve casting Mhich 

 supports it. It is an advantage to have a long bearing 



