14 BULLETIN 917, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



side of a field and plowing back and forth across it. No dead furrows 

 are made in the field, and this is very important on land that is to be 

 irrigated. In the Greeley section practically all farmers use the 2- 

 way plows. These are usually 14 or 16 inch plows, three or four 

 horses being required to pull them, the depth of plowing and the con- 

 dition of the soil determining the number needed. A few growers 

 used 12 to 14 inch gang plows with 4-horse or 5-horse teams. The 

 gang plow can be operated with less labor per acre for plowing, but it 

 does not leave the land in as good condition for irrigation as the 2-way 

 plow. A number of men were found who used sulky plows, but only 

 a few used the walking type. The 2-way plow is the best for use on 

 irrigated lands. 



Fig. 12— Plowing with a 2-way plow. The use of this implement does away with dead furrows in 

 the field, which is very important where irrigation is practiced. 



Where alfalfa sod is to be broken for planting a crop it is customary 

 to plow the land twice. The first operation is known as "'crowning 

 the alfalfa" or "scalping the land." The second operation is called 

 plowing. The crowning of alfalfa is done by plowing the land at an 

 average depth of about 3 inches, the purpose being to cut the 

 alfalfa crowns from the taproot of the plant and to have very little 

 root attached to the crown, so the plow is run only deep enough to pre- 

 vent its shifting when large roots are encountered. To do this work 

 the same type of plow is used as in plowing other lands. After crown- 

 ing the alfalfa it is left to lie a few days or weeks so that the crowns 

 may dry. Sometimes the land is spike-tooth harrowed, which brings 

 the crowns to 4he surface, where they dry more rapidly. 



When the crowns have dried, the land is then plowed 6 to 9 inches 

 deep. This turns the crowns deeply into the ground, and in this 

 condition they are not likely to sprout and interfere with the sub- 



