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Show "helmn dry farming Disk Harrow May Be Used as Substitute for Packer. . Essential That Sufficient and Proper Cultivation Be Given to Destroy Weeds More Important Than Soil Iviuich. (By PROF. A. M. TEN EYCK. Superintendent Superin-tendent Kort llnys Experiment Station.) Sta-tion.) When land Is allowed to lie for a considerable period after plowing before be-fore the crop Is planted, the settling of the 6oll, with the surface cultivation cultiva-tion to preserve the mulch and the cementing due to rain, usually causes the boU to repack and firm up to a sufficient extent to make a good seed bed. The use of the packer Is most essential es-sential on late spring plowing, when the purpose Is to plant at once after plowing. It Is not hecessary 10 use the subsurface packer on fall plowing which Is not intended to be planted until the following spring, but for sowing sow-ing fall wheat, If the plowing precedes the sowing by a very short Interval, the subsurface packer may used very advantageously. The principle Involved in the use of the subsurface packer is correct, and the lighter the soil and the greater Its tendency to remain loose the more necessary becomes the use of the subsurface sub-surface packer or similar Implement, In order to prepare a proper seed bed. In plowing under trash or manure, gubsurfacing packing, by pulverizing J the bottom of the furrow-slice, sifts the 60II through the coarse trash and causes a better union with the subsoil sub-soil below, so that the capillary water '( X s 1 ' i ' i i t j Prof. A. M. Ten Eyck. may be drawn up Into the surface soil, whereas, If a heavy coat of stubble or manure plowed under In this way is left without packing or pulverizing, the furrow-slice Is apt to dry out and the crop that is planted on the land may be Injured by a short Interval of dry weather. By setting the disks rather straight and weighting the barrow, a disk harrow har-row may be used as a substitute for the subsurface packer, resulting in a pulverizing and firming effect at the bottom of the furrow-slice, may largely large-ly accomplish the results required in preparing a proper seed bed. It is usually us-ually advisable to weight or ride the common straight-tooth harrow In order or-der to cause it to stir and pulverize the soil deeper and prevent the "disking" "disk-ing" effect which Is apt to -esult from light harrowing Tho cultivation nejessnry, after early plowing, to destroy weeds. In my expi-rience has usually been sufficient to settle and pulverize the seed bed. For the early cultivation after u good rain and after e weeds hnve started start-ed there .3 no Implement superior to the disk harrow; the double disk which gives two cultivations and leaves the ground level, being preferred. pre-ferred. For later cultivation the common com-mon harrow or the Acme harrow should be used with the purpose of not loosening the ground too deeply Just previous to planting or seeding. It is essential that sufficient and proper cultivation be given to destroy weeds. This Is more Important than to maintain a soil mulch since weeds exhaust both the soli moisture and the available plant food. If a proper 60II mulch is maintained, however, the weeds will be kept In subjection. In the Ideal system of culture the purpose pur-pose Is to keep a mellow soil mulch on the surface of the land all the time, not only during the growing of the crop, but also In the interval between harvest and seeding time. Thus, after aft-er the corn is planted the land Is cultivated cul-tivated with the weeder or harrow In order to break the surface crust and prevent the loss of moisture, and following fol-lowing out the same principle the harrowing har-rowing or work with the weeder Is continued after the grain or corn Is up. and during the growing period, frequent cultivation is required for intertilled in-tertilled crops. Again, after the crop Is harvested, the cultivation Is continued; the land is plowed at once or listed, or the surface sur-face of the soil Is loosened with the disk harrow, and thus the land is kept continually In a condition to not only prevent the loss of water already stored in the soil, but also this same condition and mellow surface favors the absorption o rain and largely prevents pre-vents the loss of water by surface drainage The Ideal soil mulch Is produced by loosening the surface soil as soon as It is dry enough to cultivate after the rain. The mulch should be mellow and granular, not pulverent and dusty. Avoid producing a "dust" mulch which results from harrowing very dry soil; such soil Is likely to blow. Also, the smooth, finely pulverized surface left by continuous light harrowing really defeats the purpose of the cultivation, since soil in Buch condition will shed heavy rains, causing a waste of water which should have been stored In the soil, ani the surface often becomes too fine and compact, preventing the prop-c prop-c aeration of the soil, and producing an unfavorable seed bed condition. Thus during the Interval between crops, it lj often advlsalle to use the Acme harrow or the disk, or Epring-tooth Epring-tooth harrow, In order to keep the surface sur-face of the soil open and mellow. Disking and Listing Versus Plowing. A new method for preparing the seed bed is now coming Into general practice Ir western Kansas. In preparing pre-paring land for wheat, tbu plan Is to list the ground with the ordinary corn lister as soon after harvest as possible The lister furrows are run about three to three and a half feet apart, very much the same as when the lister Is used for planting corn. Later, when the weeds have started, the soil Is worked back intc the lister furrows by means of a harrow or disk cultivator Several cultivations are usually required re-quired by the htrrow and disk harrow I., order to level the field and bring It into good seed bed condition. Once over with the disk cultivator Is sufficient, suf-ficient, tne further work necessary to prepare the s-ed bed being given with the common harrow. |