128 DRY-FARMING 



plowed land — a saving of nearly one half of a year's 

 precipitation. The ground should be plowed in the 

 early fall as soon as possible after the crop is har- 

 vested. It should then be left in the rough through- 

 out the winter, so that it may be mellowed and broken 

 down by the elements. The rough land further has 

 a tendency to catch and hold the snow that may 

 be blown by the wind, thus insuring a more even 

 distril^ution of the water from the melting snow. 



A common objection to fall plowing is that the 

 ground is so dry in the fall that it does not plow up 

 well, and that the great dry clods of earth do much 

 to injure the ])hysical condition of the soil. It is 

 very doubtful if such an o];)jection is generally valid, 

 especially if the soil is so cropped as to leave a fair 

 margin of moisture in the soil at harvest time. The 

 atmosjiheric agencies will usually break down the 

 clods, and the jihysical result of the treatment will 

 be beneficial. Undoubtedly, the fall plowing of 

 dry land is somewhat difficult, but the good results 

 more than pay the farmer for his trouble. Late 

 fall plowing, after the fall rains have softened the 

 land, is preferable to sjiring jilowing. If for any 

 reason the farmer feels that he must practice spring 

 ])lowing, he should do it as early as possible in the 

 spring. Of course, it is inadvisable to plow the soil 

 when it is so wet as t(_) injure its tilth seriously, but 

 as soon as that danger period has ])assed, the plow 

 should be placed in the ground. The moisture in 



