24 
BULLETIN 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
SPRING-TOOTH HARROWING. 
The spring-tooth harrow was operated on relatively few farms in 
the Rocky Ford and Fort Morgan districts, but enough growers at 
Greeley used this implement to afford reliable data. The spring- 
tooth is an excellent implement with which to loosen up fall-plowed 
land. Land plowed in early spring, which has been partially worked 
and has been packed with a few heavy rains, can also be brought 
into proper condition with a spring tooth. Inasmuch as only a 
small amount of plowing is done here in the autumn, it is highly 
probable that the spring-tooth was operated for the latter purpose. 
According to these records the season for spring-tooth harrowing 
extended from March to May. The average implement was 6 feet 
in width (Table XII). 
Table XII. — Spring-tooth harrowing data for three Colorado districts. 
Year. 
Num- 
ber of 
farms. 
Acres 
harrowed 
per farm. 
Num- 
ber 
times 
har- 
rowed. 
Crew. 
Hours per acre. 
Total 
District. 
Man. 
Horse. 
Man. 
Horse. 
per 
acre. 
Rockv Ford 
1914-15 
1915 
1914-15 
5 
10 
62 
13.7 
17.0 
21.05 
2 
1.8 
1.56 
1 
1 
1 
3.4 
4.2 
4.0 
3.42 
2.3 
1.77 
11.4 
9.8 
7.0 
$1.76 
Fort Morgan 
1.52 
Greeley 
1.11 
On the Rocky Ford and Fort Morgan farms the beet land was 
spring-tooth harrowed approximately twice. Greeley farmers aver- 
aged one and one-half times. In the latter region 54 growers used a 
crew of one man and four horses. It will be observed that the cost 
per acre for spring-tooth harrowing w T as slightly more than the cost 
for similar work with the spike-tooth. Since the number of farms 
reporting from the Rocky Ford and Fort Morgan areas is small, it 
would be unfair to make a direct comparison with the Greeley group 
where the larger number obtains. Under average conditions 8 acres 
appears to be about the usual area covered per day with the spring- 
tooth. 
ROLLING. 
The roller not only serves a useful purpose in reducing clods or 
lumps in a dry soil, but also is valuable in packing the loose surface 
soil and in restoring connection with the supply of moisture in the 
subsoil. Only 17 per cent of the growers did rolling in the prepara- 
tion of the seed bed. The majority of these were found in the 
Greeley district. At times the roller may be serviceable in producing 
a, smooth surface lor the drill. 
