TILLAGE. 73 



States of gravelly or loamy soils, where the 

 yield is rarely high but is rather certain, and 

 where corn follows clover, it is the custom 

 with many excellent farn^ers in planting on 

 such sod to plow shallow, not more than three, 

 three and one-half or. four inches deep, but in 

 the after-cultivation to plow the corn in sum- 

 mer very deep." On heavy, cold sod land, 

 plowing a depth of five to six inches will no 

 doubt be more satisfactory than at a greater 

 one. On light, easily broken soil, the plow 

 may run deeper to advantage. Under circum- 

 stances where drouth may occur somewhat 

 better results may be looked for from the deep 

 plowing. • 



Harrowing. — Having the land properly 

 plowed, it should be reduced to a fine tilth by 

 the use of the harrow.. On sod land a disk or 

 cutaway harrow can be most efficiently used to 

 tear and pulverize the overturned turf. This 

 may be followed by a smoothing harrow that 

 will prepare a smooth, fine seed bed. If lumps 

 or clods occur that do not easily break under 

 the harrow they should be broken either with 

 a roller or plank drag. Three oak planks, each 

 about six feet long, ten inches wide and two 

 inches thick, chained on lap edges like weather 

 boarding, and drawn broadside over the field, 

 will rapidly crush obnoxious clods. 



Cultivating. — Even before the corn plant 



