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Show I HOLD SPRING MOISTURE Question of Vital Importance to Farmers in Dry Areas. Anything That Can Be Done to Prevent Pre-vent Loss Ought to Be Done Local Conditions Largely Determine the Method. (By PROFESSOR THOMAS SHAW.) The question of holding spring moisture is one of vital importance to those who farm in dry areas. Every particle of moisture that is lost from the soil at that season is lost so far at the expense of the crop. Anything that can be done, therefore, to prevent Buch loss ought to be done, providing It does not Involve too much loss. What can be done to effect this end? The answer to this question will depend de-pend upon many conditions. If the ground has been plowed In the autumn, on very many western soils, minute fissures will be noticeable notice-able on the surface as soon as the ground begins to dry out. These Assures As-sures are in tome instances quite large, and the openings penetrate the soil more deep.'y. Into these fissures the air penetrates as they are formed. It is drier and warmer than the soil, and because of this it aids in the removal re-moval of moisture. The process of moisture removal Is further hastened by the climbing up of the subsoil moisture mois-ture from below. How shall this removal re-moval of moisture be lessened? It may be lessened by any method of stirring the surface soil that will remove the cracks or fissures on and near the surface. The harrow is the most effMent implement to accomplish accom-plish thin purpose. But when the ground Is somewhat impacted, it may be wise to use the disk first and to follow the same with the harrow. In yet other Instances the plan may be good which sows seed first by drilling It In and then running the harrow across the drill marks to stir the whole surface of the soil. This may be done sometimes with advantage, advan-tage, as when spring wheat is sown, as this is a kind of grain that may be sown quite early. Such sowing before harrowing can only te done with advantage ad-vantage on comparatively smooth surfaces, sur-faces, as on those that have been harrowed har-rowed the previous autumn. One disadvantage, dis-advantage, of course, follows such harrowing, har-rowing, namely, that it does not hold the snow so well as ground that is left rougher. When thus treated the escape of moisture is, in a great measure, meas-ure, prevented from the opening of spring. The effect upon crop production produc-tion will. In most Instances, be quite material Though such autumn plowed lands are not planted until late, as in the case of corn or beans, such stirring nf the surface soil as soon as it can be done is of great importance. It checks the escape of moisture, and the harrowing har-rowing of the soil subsequently once or twice before these crops are planted, plant-ed, not only aids in preventing the escape es-cape of moisture, but it may materially mate-rially aid also in the destruction of weeds that may germinate near the surface in the interval between the opening of spring and the sowing of the seed. In the case of stubble, the treatment called for will depend upon the use that is to be made of the land, and on the condition of the land. Should the land be of that nature that calls for the aid of the harrow to close the fissures, fis-sures, It will pay to defer the planting of the land or the' plowing of it, as the case may be, until the land has been first harrowed or disked. If the land is to be drilled in with some kind of grain, as wheat, it will usually pay to defer the drilling of the wheat until the land is gone over with the harrow. Such drilling without plowing is sometimes in order, as In the case of drilling spring wheat into flax ground that has been broken from sod the previous spring. Should the Btubble land be wanted for some such crop as fodder corn, it wbuld probably pay to first disk the stubble in tho early spring, to plow it a little later, and to pack it with a disk or subsurface subsur-face packer after it is plowed. Land that is broken in tha early spring and that is to be devoted to the growing of crop the same season should, of course, be compressed as i soon as it is broken with some kind of a packer. It should then be har-i har-i rowed at once and the crop should be I planted in season. On such land, the . packing and harrowing cannot be I given too soon after the plowing, providing pro-viding the plowing is not done at a time before the land has become sufficiently suffi-ciently dry to be plowed in season, i It is. of course, true that some soils do not thus form fissures in the early i spring. This Is true of sandy soils. ; These may call for a different kind of treatment. Harrowing them thus early i may aid in their blowing. Much Judg-i Judg-i ment Is called for In all the operations I of the farm. |