rage 66 



BETTER FRUIT 



June 



of preparation for cotton corresponds 

 to eight and ten inches for corn, so far 

 as the requirements of the plant are 

 concerned. 



Plowing three, four, five or six inches 

 deep is only common plowing. In our 

 instructions nothing less than eight 

 inches is considered "deep" plowing. 

 We are not advocating a single breaking 

 of eight inches in depth once in two or 

 three years, but the preparation of an 

 eight, ten or twelve-inch seed bed, thor- 

 oughly pulverized and filled with humus. 

 It is not intended here to insist that this 

 should be done at once in all cases. 

 These are the depths that must be 

 reached finally to secure the best crop 

 results. The farmer must determine 

 how soon he can secure these depths 

 under his conditions. 



Always plow in the fall before the 

 winter rains set in — the earlier after the 

 first of October the better. Always use 

 a cover crop of oats, barley, wheat, rye, 

 vetch or crimson clover, if possible. 

 Every observant farmer has noted that 

 seeds germinate more quickly and that 

 plants grow more rapidly on fall-break- 

 ing than on spring-breaking. Fall plow- 

 ing renders more plant food ready for 

 use, while the preparation of the land in 

 the fall saves work in the spring, when 

 everything on the farm is crowding. A 

 cover crop is a net gain. It keeps the 

 soil from washing, it utilizes the plant 

 food that otherwise might escape into 

 the air, and it adds humus. The soil is 

 improved by the crop, and winter grazing 

 is provided. In plowed land, properly 

 handled, the loss of plant food is less 

 than in unplowed land; more plant food 

 can be produced and more can be 

 stored. In case a cover crop is used the 

 loss of plant food is slight. 



An objection is sometimes urged that 

 fall plowed soil becomes saturated with 

 water during the winter and remains 

 wetter and colder later in the spring than 

 land left unbroken in the fall. This is 

 true only upon land not sufficiently 

 drained and where the breaking is shal- 

 low. Water passes through deep break- 

 ing readily, and with reasonable drainage 

 it is ready for planting earlier than lands 

 broken in the spring. With deep break- 

 ing and an abundance of humus it will 

 be possible to dispense with many ter- 

 races and yet have no washing of the 

 soil. Terraces are seldom required on 

 the steepest hillsides of the North. Deep 

 freezing opens the soil for the absorp- 

 tion of the rain. When land is nearly 

 level, with a stiff subsoil, it should be 

 flat-broken, but left in ridges or narrow 

 lands about five or six feet wide, suitable 

 for planting, with a dead furrow between 

 This provides winter drainage and keeps 

 the pulverized soil out of the water, 

 which is important even if unbroken. 



The advice to go down gradually is 

 given solely because the inexperienced 

 farmer may try to plow too deeply the 

 first time and bring to the surface ton 

 much of the subsoil. The best plan is 

 to use the disk plow, so set that it will 

 not bring the subsoil to the surface. 

 Generally it may be sent down eight, 

 ten or twelve inches with impunity, and, 



if dune in the fall, with slight addition to 

 the cost of shallower breaking. Double 

 plowing — that is, to break at the usual 

 depth and then follow in the same fur- 

 row with a narrower plow or scooter, 

 and go down as deep as desired — is bet- 

 ter than shallow plowing, though a little 

 more expensive plan than the use of a 

 disk plow, and not so effective. Many 

 trials, made on a great variety of soils, 

 show that the cost of plowing ten inches 

 deep with a disk plow is on an average 

 about fifty cents per acre more than 

 ordinary breaking, and in double plow- 

 ing, as above described, the additional 

 cost averages $1.25 per acre. These costs 

 are somewhat less when a ten-inch depth 

 of plowing has become the rule upon a 

 given field. There is no question that 

 breaking and pulverizing to a depth of 



eight to ten or twelve inches and adding 

 plenty of humus is economical. Whether 

 a plant has plenty of food all the time or 

 only part of the time makes the differ- 

 ence between a good crop and a very 

 poor crop. 



The depth of plowing must be deter- 

 mined by the farmer himself. He knows 

 the conditions and is the best judge of 

 the cost. In many sections, if done in the 

 fall it undoubtedly pays to sub-soil fifteen 

 or twenty inches. This has been proved 

 by the best farmers and experimenters in 

 the world. Some sub-soils in humid 

 climates have been made so close and 

 compact by the abundant rainfall that 

 air does not penetrate them to aid in pre- 

 paring plant food. Such fields, therefore, 

 may not show any benefits of sub-soiling 

 until after two or more years. It rarely 



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 $15 per acre and up. Write for beautiful 

 booklets and excursion rates. 



PAY BIG 

 PROFITS 



F. H. LaBaume, Agricultural Agent N.& W. Ry., Box 2076, Roanoke, Virginia 



Do You Want a Home in the "Beautiful Ozarks" 



OF MISSOURI— IN THE FAMOUS STRAWBERRY LAND? 



Apples, peaches, pears, grapes, raspberries, etc., all grow excellently. 

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For further information address 



Mcdonald land & mining company 



Rooms 301-302 Miner's Bank Building 

 Joseph C. Watkins, Manager JOPLIN, MISSOURI 



'Northwestern' 



Wooden Gates Waste Water! 



You know how much trouble you have with wooden gates in 

 your small irrigating ditches and how unliandy they are. The 

 wood swells and the gates stick. In opening you pull or pry 

 the gales out altogether, and by the time you have put them 

 back where you want them you have lost time and water. The 

 wood warps and the gates leak. Leaky gates frequently mean 

 washouts, and by the time the breaks are repaired you may have 

 lost more than the price of "Northwestern" iron gates. 



Water lost means crops lost. Crops lost mean money lost. 

 During the irrigating season your time is worth as much as 

 your water. You won't lose either if you 

 iron gates. 



Don't wait until your wooden gates 

 break, rot or wash out. Don't waste any 

 more time repairing wooden gates. Replace 

 them with "Northwestern" iron gates, 

 which last a lifetime without repairs. 



The gates shown here are the two most 

 satisfactory hand-operated gates. They are 

 made in all sizes, from 3 inches to 24 

 inches, with round, square or rectangular 

 openings, for connecting with any kind of 

 pipe or tile, for setting in cement, for bolt- 

 ing to wooden boxes. Lifting rods may be 

 any length required. 



W illi tlicse gates your water is under perfect control, and you can economically regulate it 

 and make it go further. They are easily and quickly opened or closed, and save time just when 

 your time is worth the most to yovi. They are so strong and simple they cannot get out or order, 

 and the gates cannot be pulled out of the frames. 



One "Northwestern" iron gate will outlast a dozen wooden gates. You know how much your 

 wooden gates have already cost you for repairing and replacing, and what you will have to spend 

 this year and next. They may already have cost you more than "Northwestern" iron gates, and the 

 expense of repairing wooden gates goes on year after year. "Northwestern" iron headgates cost a 

 little more, but are worth much more to you than the difference in cost. An iron headgate is cheap 

 because the first cost is the only cost. 



There are many other gates in the "Northwestern" line, and it will pay you to get my complete 

 catalogue, wliich will be sent you for the asking. 



Specialist in the manufacture 

 |)ressure, any size, any price. 



C. D. BUTCHART 



and design of headgates and headgate lifts for any purpose, any 

 Office: 50; Mercantile Building DENVER. COLORADO 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



