| Show PALL FALL PLOWING there are many excellent reasons why the utah farmer should prefer to have as much as possible of his plowing done in the fall and early winter that he be may get an am early start in the spring is perhaps one of the least of the many benefits he derives from this practice yet this reason alone to is no small advantage as it often enables the farmer to be forehanded with iris hia work during the whole season giving him time to do Ms his plant planting dog less hurriedly and in a proper manner insuring more satisfactory returns when the harvest time comes pall fall plowing especially if the land is left very ry rough by the plough en bances the fertility of the sou soil so U through the action of the frost and snows in liberating the nutritive elements demerits of the soil and making the fertility more available for the future crops too tao absorb has been exposed to the elements to alternate freezing and thawing during the winter makes the best possible seed bed if fined and leveled by a good harrowing commenced as early as the condi tim of the will permit and continued at frequent intervals till planting time but undoubtedly the most urgent reason why fall plowing sh should be the almost universal rule in utah and in fact throughout all the arid west Is the necessity of saving or moisture for the future crops liand land that is plowed deeply to in the autumn and to the depth of 15 or 20 inches where conditions warrant it will absorb nearly ajl the rain and of winter if all our snow and rainfall could be retail ned in the soil till needed by the growing crops cro ps of the farm there is enough natural moisture to mature many crops and so go much irrl gation as aa we now pra practice otice would be unnecessary fall plowed land aboul be left rough and open through the winter that it may be exposed to the mellowing g influence of the elements and that it may absorb all the moisture mod sture that falls upon it fkr forming ming a natural reservoir just where needed during the growing season to retain this mois ture till called for by the growing plants the land should be fined was aind leveled with the harrow as early la in the spring as the soll soil can be handled satisfactorily facto rily and if followed with frequent harrowing till the crops are planted and growing thriftily the purpose of this early and frequent shallow cula gatlon with the harrow is to pre prevent evaporation every farmer has how blow rapidly a warm south wind so prevalent in spring will wall dry out the soll soil especially where it Is unplowed and uncultivated twenty four hours of this warm wind will dry out seve severah raf inches of moisture unless prevented prevent edby by shallow hallow cultivation drouth may be circumvented by cultivation if started early and continued frequently the moisture col cannot annott be retained in soy any other ather way when spring plowing must be done tho the better class of farmers do not permit the newly turned soil to be long exposed to the drying effects of the won son and winds but cover it as quickly as possible ath a blanket made with a harrow the harrow should follow the plow within three or four fofar hours at most an old farmer was asked by a young and less experienced tiller of the son how he could keep his farm front from drying up as aa his crops were perishing with the drouth why he answered cover it with a blanket astonished the young man asked how that could be possible and was informed that leaves or straw or any halt half decomposed litter would answer but it if his farm was too big to cover in this way he might cover it with dust a blanket of p duat sad pmj he be Is s pearly nearly ftp efte 3 a fw s 16 at as am the straw or litter and coat so ao much still the young farmer fanner was in doubt us to bo where here to get enough dust to entirely cover his harm till informed that by shallow cultivation he could make a dust mulch or from the 1 soil I he had on his farm and thus prevent his crops from drying up looked at in this light weeds are a blessing as they compel the farmer to lo cultivate the otherwise neglected farm crops which were more greatly benefited by the stirring of the soil gall and the of its moisture than in the mere riddance of the weeds J H P |
