PLOWING THE SOIL. 195 
so far as I am aware nothing has been done in ex- 
periment station work along this line. On all hard 
clays and wherever it is desirable that more water 
be stored in the subsoil I advise the use of the sub- 
soil plow. It would certainly be wise to test it ina 
small way at first, then if results seemed good it 
could be adopted as a part of the regular practice. 
In Europe it is not unknown to trench or dig 
up a field with spades to a depth of 36”, mixing top 
and bottom soils, and land thus treated, well limed, 
well manured, yields crops that would astonish an 
American farmer, even if living on the richest soils. 
Plowing for Spring Sowing.—When alfalfa is to 
be sown in the spring it is well to get the plowing 
done early, this so that the land will settle together 
again and make a better seedbed for the seedling 
plants. Freshly plowed land is too loose to hold 
moisture near the surface well. Thus it is best 
to plow for alfalfa in the fall or during the winter. 
If lime is to be applied it is best to apply it imme- 
diately after the plowing, or after one dragging of 
the land. Then it is disked in and mixed well with 
the soil. 
If the plowing can not be done early it may be 
done immediately before seeding, but then more 
care must be taken to firm the soil again and make 
a good seedbed. Going over it several times with 
the disk harrow is one way to firm it, or to roll it 
with a heavy roller and afterward disking it will 
bring the top soil into capillary connection with the 
subsoil. 
