Show PLOW IN THE FALL AND SAVE WATER L 31 lit insor Fol follimel likel demon for basin contributes article loi im publication L al winsor assistant irrigation rig ution engineer engine cr united states department ol oi agrical tuie utah division aho vho last year was in colliado Coloia Colo tado do and who prior to that was falm faim demonstrator foi tho the uintah has contributed a able article for the utah pai fiji mer on how to save sano wilter water by plo plowing wing in the fall hero here la 10 the article just at pimont artilo of the dry farm experts uio me riot not certain that fall PIO plowing Illg gives butter bitter results than disking in the ihu fall after tile the cop has haa bw bo n hat hai vested N with ith plow ing the following epting ing where the land is to lay jay fallow dui dm ing tho the Fu nimer on oil the aril in I 1 gated faun fabin however where the land is cropped every season there is in no question as 46 to the advisability of fall plowing in substantiation of this statement authorities on the subject will point to the fact that tho the tall plowed land is loft left in condition for the winter storms and the frost to break down the soil particles elps and render the plant food 1 readily available they will also aloo say day that the laud land is plowed much easier in the fall when the teams ate a e accustomed to hard work and that the spring work is helped along very much by having a large palt pait of the land ready for se ceding seceding as soon tin as OP spring r ing opens up there in IH one jeason for fall plowing the irrigated farm which should bo be added to the above list and on most farms faring in the arid west it is more important than all the rest fall plowing reduces very materially the amount of water required to produce a crop this fact alone Is sufficient chent reason to make inake the irrigation f farmer armor use every means available to get as many acres as a possible plowed well in the fall it mat tera not whether water if ie scarce or plentiful plentie ul it la Is to the advantage of every irit in legation farmer to reduce the number of irrigations and the amount of water applied to a minimum where water la Is very scarce in ProP proportion to the land irrigable it la is doubly important that this principle be adhered to it if the land is IB plowed deep in the fall tho the spring work to is made very light in most of the intermountain mountain coun 1 yo sufficient moisture moia ture will be b absorbed for germinating the e seed need and to supply the well along to maturity provid ed tho the necessary operations 1 for conserving the moisture ture have baye been carried out on the other hand band when spring plowing Is practiced even if the soil is ia moist the numerous stirrings which it is 10 put through results in its drying out to such au an extent that in most un all irrigation Is ia necessary for proper germination when the crop is irrigated after planting it Is out of 0 the question to follow with a cultivation because by tile the time the surface la Is dry to pulverize the tender lender plants ate ale just juat looping pooping through and a disturbing would prove fatal by the time the plants me ate strong enough to stand a light cultivation the surface has become my and haid baid and moat of the mols tuio has been lost A and often a third liri gatlon gation la is given a mop ut of bater ater need be applied to the soll that has ban been plowed in tile the fall and properly pio perly handled in the spring it is a mistake to disk in the spring a piece of fall plow ed ground the disk cuts and disturbs the soil boll deeper then whore where the seeds should be dropped and the soil will diy daiy judit nn as deep us it is sti stoned ried A light cultivation just as soon as aro the surface will Is the proper mode of pro cee dure the lighter the better so long as a good mulch is in formed this can be fol lowed by the seeder at the proper time whether it be immediately or weeks after in this way the mola tuie la Is hold close to the surface anc the seed can be placed well down into tho moi moist stear earth th the surface cultivation has caused the soil boll to take in tile the heat boat and air and ideal conditions for germination ic ily illy this method of pio ced ut uie 0 another lippoi important tant stop toward mastering the seasons season 8 work ork is taken when the filet faist days come and the surface of tho the fall plowed ground begins to dry and warm warin up a heavy growth of woods weeds starts tile tho light surface cultivation boore heeding kills this filat crop and little trouble will be from weeds during the remain doi of the ats on oil before the second crop has time tillie to conic on the bread and butter chop is well along and the weeds have to play second fiddle I tho the busy farmer says it 11 in all well enough n ough to plow in the fall but that he time to do all the things lie ho knows to bo be right this is all title tine and wo we cannot expect to soo BOO every operation can led on nu just as tile the farmei knows it should be however with an ideal tall fall like this has ben thus far there to is little excuse for the farmer who has the mafoi palt pait of his farm still lying just as it was when the crop was removed there is yet time for a great deal of field work in most sections of the intermountain country do it bowl now I 1 and KO go fishing next summer |