Fall Plowing 



89 



physical character of the soil. Land which is plowed 

 in the fall can nearly always be worked several days 

 earlier than that which is plowed in the spring. It 

 dries out sooner. Especially is this true of stiff or 

 loamy lands. Clay lands may be very much improved 

 in their physical texture by being plowed in the fall, 

 so that the weather has a chance to break down and 

 slack the lumps. It is important, however, that such 

 land should contain more or less vegetable matter; 

 otherwise it may run together and puddle during the 

 winter season and be difficult to manage in the spring. 

 If the land contains stubble of grain or grass, or if it 

 has a covering of manure, such danger will be averted. 

 If the land is clean and in good condition, it will not 

 need to be plowed again in the spring, but can be 

 worked down with heavy tools, like the spading har- 

 rows, and be got in ideal condition (Fig. 24). When- 

 ever land is needed very early in the spring, it is 

 advisable to plow it in the fall. This remark applies 

 with little force to light and sandy lands, for they can 

 ordinarily be plowed very early. 



Lands may be made earlier to work if they are 

 thrown into beds or ridges by the fall plowing, so that 

 the dead -furrows occur every eight or ten feet. The 

 surface water is then carried off and the ridges lie so 

 high that they dry out quickly. This operation is 

 sometimes spoken of as trenching, but it is more prop- 

 erly ridging of the land. The term trenching^' should 

 be reserved for its legitimate use to designate the 

 spading up or loosening up of the land deeper than 

 the original furrow. It is only a special practice. 



