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The farmer is the
biggest man in the
world. Business sur-
vives or perishes with
him. Times are good
or bad in proportion
as the farmer raises
more or less. The
tremendous responsi-
bility of continuous
good times rests
upon his shoulders

I

-fl

INTRODUCTORY

This edition of "The Disk Harrow" is presented to its
readers with the hope that its contents will be thoroughly
digested, and that part assimilated which will be of
special value to each individual reader.

The contributors are situated in different parts of
the country. Their statements prove that while the soil
conditions are different in each locality, yet the principle
underlying the preparation of the seed bed is one and the
same all over the universe. It is simply a matter of
understanding the fundamental principle and then ap-
plying this knowledge to local conditions.

Each contributor is a man of wide experience in
the field of agronomy. He has also made special study
of the use of the disk harrow in the locality where he is
situated. Several of them are fully acquainted with
conditions in many different states. For this reason
farmers can feel assured that these men have a message
of value to them

Copyrighted 1913

I H C SERVICE BUREAU
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF AMERICA

(Incorporated)
CHICAGO USA

A 174 C

The Disk Harrow

By F. B. LiNFiELD

Superintendent of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station

There are some farm implements for
the cultivation of the soil which seem
almost indispensable on the farms of this
Western country. They are the plow,
the disk harrow, and the drag harrow.
With these tools alone, practically all the
farmers can prepare a good seed bed, and
control the weeds. Their work may at
times be supplemented to advantage by
other tools, but these three cannot be
replaced.

In our Western agriculture, next to
the plow, the disk harrow is the most valuable tool employed
on the farm. It is generally the first tool used after the plow,
when it performs a two-fold work. First, it pulverizes the
turned-over soil; and second, it in a measure packs the sub-
surface onto the subsoil, and makes a fine but firm seed bed.
The disk is nearly always lapped one-half, so as to leave the
ground level. If the soil is quite loose, the disks are set at a
slight angle, while if the ground is firm the disks are set at a
wider angle so as to cut deeper.

We find that this double disking after the plow, leaves the
soil in fine condition for the best action of the drag harrow in
further pulverizing the surface soil.

In plowing sod in the dry bench lands in the Western
country, a heavy corrugated roller or packer puts the sod
down firmly on the subsoil, but if such tools are not available
the disk makes a very good substitute. If set so as not to cut
too deep, the disk is the best tool we have found to make a
good seed bed on this sod.

In the irrigated districts, we do all the plowing we can in
the fall. This leaves the soil in good condition to take up the

2S1910

winter's moisture, and also permits us to get such land culti-
vated and seeded early in the spring, which is very important
if the largest crop yield is to be had. On such fall-plowed
land, the disk harrow is generally the first tool used. Set at
an angle to cut a good depth, double by lapping the disk half,
and the first step in the preparation of the seed bed is well
done.

In our dry farm country, the practice is growing of disk-
ing the stubble land in the fall soon after the grain is cut. If
there is any moisture in the ground this helps to hold it. It
may also start weed seeds growing, which are later killed by
turning under with the plow. The same practice is sometimes
followed in the spring to kill the early growing weeds, and to
hold the moisture until the land is plowed.

In most of the dry farm districts the land is cropped only
every second year, the resting year being used to prepare the
land and store moisture for the next season's crop. Sometimes
in the rainy season of May and June, weeds get a strong start
on the fallow land. The disk is our best tool for cutting out
these large weeds. There is, however, a caution to be given
at this point. On fallowed or summer tilled land the disk
should not be used, if the weeds can be conquered without it,
as it cuts quite deep on our friable soil and makes a very deep
soil mulch, thus wasting more of the soil moisture than is
necessary. If the weeds get too strong, as sometimes happens,
the disk must be used as the weeds will take more moisture out
of ground than would the deep tillage. If possible, however,
the weeds should be controlled by shallow tillage.

In old alfalfa fields, if the stand is not as thick as desired,
nothing better can be done to renovate such fields than to
thoroughly disk them in the spring of the year. On irrigated
ground, a thorough disking of the alfalfa fields every two or
three years is good practice, and will generally improve the
quantity and quality of the hay. Weeds will be destroyed,
and I have yet to meet the person who has any complaints to
make as a result of disking his alfalfa. Remember, however,

this disking must be done in the spring, just as the plant is
beginning to grow, not in the fall.

On dry farms I would advise the disking of the alfalfa in
the spring, and after the first crop is cut each year. Such
disking pulverizes the surface soil, which thus acts as a mulch
to preserve the moisture.

Out in this Western country, and particularly on the dry
bench farms, we find hired help very expensive, so our prac-
tice is to use a four or six-horse disk. This is a factor in
economic production, and we find the wide disks do just as
good work as the narrower ones. As on much of the soils
some packing as well as a cutting effect is desired, we find that
the best work is done with the 14-inch or 16-inch disk wheels.

Preparing Seed Bed with Disk Harrow

By L. B. Bassitt

Assistant Professor of Farm Mechanics, Minnesota Experiment Station

In discussing the irse of the disk harrow, I have endeavored
to give suggestions that if followed will give ideal conditions.
It is expected that in following these suggestions, a person will
so modify them as to fit his own conditions.

One of the chief reasons why better seed beds are not pre-
pared and the disk harrow used more in their preparation, is
the lack of time caused by the farming of too large an area.
It is the same old fault — too much ground poorly tilled.

Preparing Land for Corn Crop

If the land has been fall plowed, it should be single disked
just as soon as the land can be worked in the spring. For this
work, set the disk with slant enough to stir the ground to a
depth of two inches. This should be followed immediately
with a slant tooth harrow crossing the disk furrows; harrow
again after every heavy rain until just before planting time, then
double disk with disks set to cut two inches deep; cross harrow
at once and plant immediately. A seed bed handled in this
way will be firm underneath and free from weeds, with a two-
inch dust mulch on top that will readily take water from above
and prevent the loss of water from evaporation.

The Use of Disk Harrow for Small Grain

In the driest section of the Mississippi Valley it is found to
be very profitable to follow the binder with the disk harrow to
conserve the moisture and render the soil fit to hold moisture
that may fall during the late summer before ground is plowed
in fall. This also cuts up and pulverizes the surface so that
when land is plowed the furrow slice makes a better connection
with the bottom of the preceding furrow, preventing in a large
measure the large air spaces that are so detrimental to a per-
fect seed bed.

(Fig. 1) The dead furrow is non-productive

(Fig. 2) Dead furrow partially filled

(Fig. 3) Dead furrow filled

10

In my opinion this practice can be followed with profit by
the farmers of the states like Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin
where rainfall is more abundant. The advantage gained by the
sprouting of weed seed, the better seed bed gain and the conser-
vation of moisture is not to be lost sight of even in these states.

On land that is fall plowed for small grain — and one ought
not make a practice of growing grain on spring plowing — it is
better to double disk early in spring, cross harrow, and sow
immediately. It might be that under some conditions single
disking will be sufficient. It must be borne in mind that the
thing to be accomplished is a finely pulverized seed bed about
two inches deep with a solid subsoil contact that will bring
moisture up to the dust mulch or within two inches of the
surface. For best results, this condition must be established.
One of the greatest objections to single disking is the fact that
it leaves the ground in an uneven condition covered with ridges.

Filling Dead Furrows and Leveling Ridges

In every field of any size can be found several dead furrows
and ridges left by the plow in finishing and laying out lands.
These should be leveled before planting corn or sowing grain.
It is almost impossible to plant and properly cover a row of
corn in a dead furrow and the row planted on the ridge is often
covered so deep that much of it never comes up. The yield of
corn and small grain in dead furrows is always light.

Figure 1 shows a dead furrow seven inches deep before filling.

Figure 2 shows the same dead furrow partially filled and
manner of filling.

Figure 3 shows the same furrow completely filled and
ground left in level condition.

A ridge or back furrow may be leveled by driving so that
the center of the disk comes on the middle of the ridge — thus
throwing the dirt outward on either side of the ridge. Once
down and back on the same ridge will leave it in a very level
condition.

11

Diskine in manure
12

Use of Disk Harrow in Covering Manure

The value of drawing manure direct from barn to field is
being realized more and more every year by farmers of the
Northwest. Until recent years, the practice has been to leave
stubble land in the fall and scatter manure on it during the
winter and spring months. This is to be plowed under in spring
for crop. This practice not only delays plowing until spring,
which is a bad thing, but gets much of the manure down so deep
that some of the value is lost and in case of a dry seed season,
shuts oif the water supply at the bottom, of the furrow slice.

Much better results are being secured by fall plowing and
spreading the manure on top of plowing during winter and
spring months. The disk harrow is used in spring for pulver-
izing the seed bed and mixing the manure with the surface
soil. So well does this work out, that with manure applied at
the ordinary rate very little trouble is experienced in working
harrows, cultivators, and seeding machinery on land so tested.
The illustration opposite shows a disk harrow disking in manure
as described above.

Use of Disk Harrow in Eradicating Quack Grass

No other tillage implement is so effective in the eradication
of quack grass as the disk harrow. When the sod is first
turned over, it can be cut up and pulverized with the disk so
as to expose the roots to suit wind. This should be followed
with a harrow and all roots raked up and burned after the harrow.
In about ten days new shoots will be seen coming up on the
inverted sod. Now get out the disk and go over the field
again, lapping half; repeat the harrowing and burning process.
Keep this up as often as any quack stem shows green above the
field. It may be found necessary to replow in about six weeks'
time, after which the treatment should be the same as described
above. One season of this treatment if carefully done, will
eradicate the worst fields of quack grass.

13

The Disk Harrow in North Dakota

By J. H. Worst

President, North Dakota Agricultural College

The disk harrow is used almost uni-
versally by the farmers of North Dakota.
The disk following a corn crop of the
previous year or after potatoes gives
better results than any other manner of
preparing the land if a thorough job of
disking is done. Our people commonly
^^^^0i k practice double disking and I believe

^^A ^1^^^^^^ should do so in almost all cases.
^^H^Mgll^^^H It will be seen that on the average it

^^^^^[^ Jllim is superior to either spring or fall plow-
ing. When the land is inclined to drift,
disking usually prevents that trouble.

In Bulletin No. 75 the following table shows the results of

preparing corn ground for wheat:

1903

1904

1906

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Fall Plowing...

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Spring Plowing

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No. 3

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28.8

It is used in many cases to run over stubble land after the
binder so that the sheaves fall on the disked surface. By this
practice, a loose mulch is formed over the surface, which is
made up of a mixture of dirt and grain stubble. This has
a pronounced advantage in keeping moisture in the soil after
the crop is through using it until such time as the grain is

15

Disking the ground— a part of the preparation of the seed bed which grew the
bumper crops shown in the harvest scene below

Harvesting a bumper crop of wheat averaging fifty bushels per acre

16

threshed and the ground is plowed. The disk is used very
regularly on fall-plowed land and on fallow land. It is a tool
that will do many kinds of work, according to the angle that
the disks are set. By putting them almost directly upright,
they simply slit the ground, and by setting them at a heavy
angle, they almost completely turn the surface.

Our people have learned to use them in loosening up sod-
bound meadow lands and alfalfa as a means of bringing new
vigor to the old sod.

Every farm in our commonwealth should be provided with
at least one disk harrow as a necessary part of its equipment.
I believe that in the future our farmers will learn to use them
more regularly than they are doing at the present time. And
they are now adapted to a large number of uses which they
were not put to ten years ago.

17

18

The Value of the Disk Harrow

By T. S. Parsons

Agronomist, University of Wyoming Experiment Station

Few farmers realize the importance of
the disk harrow as a labor saver and as
an improver of the seed bed, to say
nothing of the various other uses to which
it can be put upon the farm.

To the farmer of Wyoming, the disk
harrow is a valuable implement. In this
state where farming is carried on under
so many different conditions of climate,
altitude and moisture it has an especial
value to the farmer who makes use of
it intelligently. In Wyoming, farming
is carried on at altitudes ranging from a little above 3,000 feet
to 8,000 feet or more; and under conditions of rainfall rang-
ing from 6.5 to 15 inches per annum. Under each of these
conditions the disk harrow finds its own particular use and
adaptability. At the State Experiment Station where the
altitude is about 7,200 feet, the disk harrow is considered
one of the most valuable pieces of tillage machinery and is
put to more different uses upon the farm than any other
implement.

I may describe the uses to which the disk harrow is put on
the Experiment Farm and on the best farms and ranches in the
various sections of Wyoming under the following heads:

1st: Following the plow to pulverize the soil and put it in
better tilth for the reception of the seed.

2nd: Disking land in the spring that has been plowed in the
fall. This saves replowing and puts the soil in the best pos-
sible condition for spring seeding.

3rd: Disking ground that has been cropped to peas, pota-
toes, or roots the previous year. Some of our best farmers
hold that disking is superior to plowing on such land if it has

19

been plowed to a sufficient depth in previous years and there is
plenty of water for irrigation.

4th: Disking stubble land after the grain is cut to put the
soil in better condition for fall plowing. This is a method
adopted by the dry farmer to conserve the moisture in the soil
and also to put the soil in better condition to catch and retain
the rain that falls upon it. The disk harrow is an excellent
implement for the formation of the soil mulch.

5th: For summer fallowing. It not only helps the soil
retain moisture, but is a killer of weeds, which rob the soil of
much moisture.

6th: Disking alfalfa fields and meadows. The fields become
sodbound and disking cuts up the crowns of alfalfa, loosens and
aerates the surface soil, cuts out foxtail and other injurious
weeds, and improves the crop generally.

Yth: As a lawn improver. This spring a part of the Uni-
versity campus which had never been broken was disked and
seeded to native grasses. Also the court-house lawn was
covered with manure during the winter and this spring disked.
The lawns are now in excellent condition.

8th: For cultivating the orchard. To give maximum yields in
the irrigated orchard regions the orchard should be given clean
cultivation. This can be done by the use of the disk harrow.
The dry farm orchard is also greatly benefited by disking and
clean cultivation to destroy weeds and conserve moisture.

Taking the variety of work, the thoroughness, the horse
power required, the ease with which it can be handled and its
effect upon the soil, no farm machine ever invented surpasses
the disk harrow. And even though the inventor is unknown,
his memory is entitled to the blessing of humanity and he is
deserving of a monument equal in height and architecture to
any of the great benefactors of the race.

Sun-baked soil before disking

Water-baked soil partly disked

Completing the disking

22

Some Uses of the Disk Harrow in Idaho

By F. D. Farrell

Director in Charge, Southern Idaho Agricultural Extension, University of Idaho

Comparatively few farms in the state of Idaho are without
the disk harrow. It is used extensively on the dry lands and
on the general irrigated farms, in the orchards, etc. It can be
used for a number of purposes where other implements might
also serve but it is the most effective implement we have for
all the following purposes: (1) Preparation of a seed bed on
newly broken sod; (2) Breaking of heavy crusts formed by
snow or rain; (3) Eradication of weeds, particularly on dry
land summer fallow; (4) General preparation of all seed beds;
(5) Loosening of stubble fields after harvest to make them
absorb and retain moisture; (6) The cultivation of alfalfa.

In the brief space allotted us we can call attention to some
of the main considerations only, with regard to the above
enumerated points.

On a very large area of our virgin soils the first plowing
turns over a rather tough, heavy sod. The plowing is ordi-
narily done to a depth of five inches. Some implement is then
necessary to completely pulverize this sod to make it firm,
without being too compact, and to establish a connection
between the plowed sod and the soil immediately beneath it.
We have found that the disk harrow is the most efficient,
implement in preparing this sod for planting. Where an ordi-
nary spike-toothed harrow is used, it is next to impossible to get
all the sod completely pulverized, and the harrow has little or
no effect in the way of incorporating the pulverized soil with
the unplowed underlying soil. The disk harrow, however,
does this very satisfactorily. The firm of Woodmansee &
Webster, which operates a 4,800-acre dry farm in Fremont
county, employs a very efficient combination of disk harrows.
They have a specially constructed frame, behind which they
attach ten harrows, each seven feet wide. They are attached in
such a way that each harrow overlaps one-half of one of the

The right kind of a mulch for moisture The wrong kind of a mulch. The ground

conservation is granular^that is, the dirt is almost dust. S.uch a mulch blows away

should not be pulverized too finely easily

^ . ^A

\

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The granular mulch rained upon. Notice
that a slight crust is formed on the surface.
A peg-tooth harrow will break up the crust

The dust mulch rained upon. The soil
particles are compact and close together,
forming a deep crust

24

other harrows. The arrangement double-disks a 35-foot strip
in one operation. The Woodmansee & Webster farm in its
virgin state contained a tough sod of buffalo grass which, when
plowed, was very difficult to pulverize. They go over their
land shortly after plowing, with their disk harrow arrange-
ment. This double-disks the land once. They then repeat the
operation with the addition of a large wooden smoother which
is attached so as to follow the disk harrows. This double
working amounts to four diskings and one smoothing, and it
results in a practically ideal seed bed for winter wheat. The
disks completely pulverize the sod, firm it to the desired
degree and incorporate it with the underlying soil. The com-
bination of the disks and smoother leaves the soil in a very
smooth condition at the surface as well as underneath. This
makes their fields easy on all their planting and harvesting
machinery. For all work similar to that just described, we
know of no other implement in this state which will begin to
give the satisfaction that is given by the disk harrow.

A large part of the soils of Idaho, particularly those of the
great Snake River Valley, are deficient in humus. This condi-
tion makes the soils very susceptible to crusting. After a
heavy rain and in the early spring, soils which were plowed the
preceding season are found to be very heavily crusted. In a
large number of cases this crust cannot be satisfactorily and
uniformly broken up by an ordinary spike-toothed harrow. It
is too expensive to use a plow for breaking the crust, even if
this practice were desirable. Here again the disk harrow is
pre-eminent as an efficient implement. By getting onto a field
with a disk harrow as early in the spring or as soon after a
heavy rain as the soil can be worked without danger of pud-
dling, the crust formed can be completely broken up and left
in a very desirable condition. It is best in a case of this kind
to double-disk rather than single-disk, and it is frequently
desirable to follow the disk harrow with a spike-toothed harrow.
This, however, is not always necessary. Frequently, where
only the spike-toothed harrow is used for breaking the crust,

25

The granular mulch rained upon and
left standing for a number of days.
Observe that the ground is cracking, and
that moisture is escaping through these
cracks. The crust can be ezisily broken

Dust mulch rained upon and left stand-
ing in the hot sun. Note that the crust
has cracked, and that the moisture is
escaping very rapidly. It is impossible
to work up this seed bed properly

Stubble left standing after harvesting.
Note that the ground is full of cracks,
and that it is very hard

Stubble disked immediately behind
the binder. Note that there are no
cracks in the ground, the stubble is cut
up, and a mulch is left on the surface
to prevent moisture from escaping

it must be run over the soil so many times that the result is
the much talked of ''dust mulch." In our volcanic ash and
heavy clay soils, this dust mulch is not at all desirable as it too
readily encrusts again when more rain falls. The disk harrow,
by breaking the crust with a single operation, leaves the
surface, not as a dust mulch, but in a well pulverized, well
firmed condition.

On the unirrigated lands of Idaho it is a common practice
to summer fallow every other year. The summer fallow is
frequently so infested with weeds and volunteer grain that a
great deal of difficulty is met. It is often impossible for a
farmer to cultivate his fallow when the weeds are just beginning
to emerge from the soil. After the weeds have gained a rea-
sonably good start a spike-toothed harrow is not eflPective in
eradicating them. The disk harrow here is very effective. The
object in all the summer cultivation of fallowed soil is to keep
the surface pulverized and to keep down weeds. The more shal-
lowly this cultivation can be done the smaller will be the
quantity of soil moisture lost through evaporation. It is always
desirable, therefore, to be as effective as possible, in accomplish-
ing the desired object and at the same time to avoid going too
deeply into the soil. An ordinary plow would eradicate the
weeds but the operation would be expensive and large quantities
of soil moisture would be unnecessarily lost. The use of a spike-
toothed harrow would probably pulverize the surface soil and
it would avoid going too deeply, but it would not be effective
in most cases in eradicating the weeds. The disk harrow is
found in such cases to be the happy medium. It is very widely
and very successfully used in Idaho for this purpose.

In preparation of seed beds for all field crops in this state,
the disk harrow has its uses. The desirable seed bed contains
from four to six inches of well pulverized surface soil, reason-
ably firm, without being too compact. This zone of pulverized
soil should be uniform all over the field in depth, moisture con-
tent and tilth. Comparatively few fields are prepared for plant-
ing on the best farms of this state without the use of a disk

27

Undisked stubble plowed. Observe
that the ground is turned up in lumps,
that there are open spaces at the bottom
of the furrow which prevent the close
compactness of the lower portion of
the turned furrow with the soil beneath

Disked stubble plowed. The mulch
formed by the disk harrow fills up the
open spaces at the bottom of the fur-
row, thereby forming a close connec-
tion with the sub-surface

This illustration represents the field
above harrowed with a pegtooth harrow.
The air spaces are still at the bottom
of the furrow

This illustration represents the field
above treated with a pegtooth harrow
after plowing. The surface is in com-
paratively good condition, and the bottom
is compact

28

harrow. This implement has been found to produce generally,
the most nearly ideal seed bed conditions, because of the man-
ner in which it meets the requirements in the desired prepara-
tion of soil.

The disk harrow is coming into general use on both the
unirrigated and irrigated farms of Idaho in disking grain stub-
ble. The farmers are finding that it pays to disk immediately
after harvest in order that the soil will absorb any water which
may be precipitated or artificially applied, and in order that
when the plowing is done later in the season the soil will be
turned over in a mellow, rather than in a lumpy condition.
Oftentimes farmers plant alfalfa in their stubble fields shortly
after the grain crop is removed and the disk harrow is here
used to prepare the seed bed. Where soil has been reasonably
well cared for and is not too heavy, naturally, abetter seed bed
can frequently be secured for alfalfa planting by thoroughly
disking the stubble than by plowing the field, and the disking
of course is much less expensive than plowing. On some of the
sandy soils in the Snake River Valley, it has been found that a
stand of alfalfa can be secured by planting in a seed bed pre-
pared by a disk harrow run over a stubble field. Where these
sandy soils are inclined to "blow," great care has to be taken
not to get too much finely pulverized soil on the surface. In
instances of this kind, the disk harrow is run with the disks
almost straight over the stubble field. This loosens up the soil
sufficiently for the reception of the alfalfa seed, but does not
pulverize it to such an extent that it blows undesirably. This
use of the disk harrow illustrates its adjustability by varying
the angle at which the disks are run. Wide variations in the
degree of pulverization of the soil can be secured.

The cultivation of alfalfa on both the dry and irrigated
farms of Idaho is done very largely with the disk harrow. The
purposes of cultivating alfalfa are. many. They include the
admission of air to the alfalfa roots and the organisms on the
roots, the breaking up of the crust formed by natural precipi-
tation or surface irrigation, the eradication of weeds from the

29

Plowed field, disked and harrowed.
There is a deeper seed bed on the sur-
face, but many hard clods and air spaces
are in the bottom of the furrow

Disked stubble plowed and disked before
harrowing. Observe the compact con-
dition of the soil, that the air spaces are
completely filled up, and that the ground
is in first-class condition

i||]TiP '\'A^-\^

1 M iMiViil\'.'ii

A plowed and harrowed field with corn
and wheat planted upon it, showing that
the corn and wheat are too deep in the
ground. The runner broke through the
clod and deposited the seed deeper
than the farmer really intended. Maybe
the next hill is too shallow. This sort
of a seed bed accounts very largely for
the unevenness of the stand of all
kinds of crops, and also explains why plants
will grow and prosper for a while, then
suddenly become weak

This illustration represents the field in
the above scene, showing that in a seed
bed of this kind the farmer can regulate
his seeding machine to a certain depth
and feel assured that the grain is being
deposited at that depth. The corn is
planted where he wants it, and the soil
is compact and fine, so that the rootlets
can reach out and assimilate the neces-
sary amount of plant food, thus insuring
a vigorous, healthy growth. The same
thing is true of the wheat plant

alfalfa fields, the pulverizing of surface soil for the conserva-
tion of moisture and the splitting of the crowns of the alfalfa
plants so as to prevent the latter from becoming" too coarse and
woody. The disk harrow meets these requirements very satis-
factorily. It is widely used in all parts of Idaho for this pur-
pose. Here again the severity of the cultivation can be adjusted
to suit the needs of the particular field.' Where the crust is
only moderately thick, the disk can be run nearly straight.
The same is true where the alfalfa is only one year old. Where
the crust is heavy or the field weedy and the alfalfa plants are
two or more years old, the disks can be run at a sharp angle,
and thus do much more severe cultivating than where they run
straight. In this way the crowns of the alfalfa plants are
divided and subdivided, weeds are killed, the surface soil is
well pulverized and practically all the other purposes for which
alfalfa is cultivated are satisfactorily accomplished. Ordinarily,
the disk is run over the alfalfa field early in the spring before
the plants have made much growth. Where only one cultiva-
tion is given the field annually, the early spring cultivation is
the most efficient. Some farmers get good results by disking
in the fall. This is particularly true on the dry lands where
the collection and conservation of water in the soil are the
primary factors.

A number of other uses for the disk harrow in Idaho can be
enumerated and discussed, but those above are probably the
most important. Any one of those named is a sufficient reason
why a disk harrow should form a part of every Idaho farmer's
equipment.

A com field in the spring, after the
stock have fed and trampled through it
all winter. This is about the condition
ground is in when the farmer starts to
sow his oats or plow for another crop
of corn

The cornstalk field after a thorough
disking, showing the stalks cut in small
pieces and the mulch of earth which
prevents moisture from escaping

The field shown in the above picture
plowed. Observe that the cornstalks are
only half buried, and that the roots and
stalks form air spaces which prevent the
furrowed slice from coming in compact
union with the sub-surface

Field showing the above disked corn-
stalk ground plowed. Note the disked
surface and that the short lengths of
stalks do not interfere with the com-
pact union of the furrowed slice with
the sub-surface

Farming with the Disk Harrow

By F. H. Demaree

Acting Agronomist, University of Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station

In my opinion and that of everybody
connected with the crop and soils work
of this institution, the disk harrow is one
of the best implements which can be used
on any farm.

It lends itself to a variety of uses. It
should always be used before land is
plowed in the spring for com. Most of
the corn roots are found at a depth of
six to eight inches below the surface of
the ground. When land is simply plowed
without disking, it can easily be seen
that the corn roots are lodged in the most poorly prepared part
of the seed bed. This is not logical nor practical. So, in my
opinion, all spring-plowed land should be disked before it is
plowed. There is no piece of machinery which will take the
place of the disk harrow for this purpose.

The disk may also be used to a good advantage in preparing
the top seed bed for corn. In early-plowed land and fall-
plowed land, there is generally a crust and many clods form
before corn planting time. One of the best implements which
we have found so far in pulverizing these, is the disk harrow.
On sod land, it is nearly impossible to make a good seed bed
without the use of the disk.

In Missouri where we often grow two crops in one season,
the disk harrow lends itself admirably to the second prepara-
tion of the soil. For instance, it is becoming quite common to
sow cowpeas after oats or wheat when clover has not been
sown in the spring. If the disk is used here as soon as the
wheat is cut, such lands can be prepared nicely for cowpeas
and will produce a good crop before frost.

In preparing land for oats, it has been found at other

83

Field plowed and harrowed with an
ordinary peg-tooth harrow. The stalks
interfere with cultivation. Note also
the clods and air spaces that stop the
upward trend of moisture

Field showing disked stubble plowed,
disked and harrowed. Can you imagine
a better seed bed for the plainting of
corn or any grain

Illustration showing the field above
planted with corn and small grain. The
farmer is never certain of his crop.
The cornstalks bother in the cultiva-
tion, and are of no service as fertilizer
when left in this condition

This field is the same as that shown
in the illustration above, with corn
and small grain planted. The ground
is in perfect condition for the reception
of the seed, and the farmer has good
assurance that he will grow a crop

34

Stations that a good double disking of the soil is just as effi-
cient as plowing and much easier and quicker so that our
recommendations for the preparation of oat land is to double-
disk the soil, then harrow down and drill the seed in. Such a
preparation would, if consistently followed, give excellent
results.

From the foregoing, it can be easily seen, that the disk
harrow plays a very important part in modern farm opera-
tions. In my estimation no farmer can do without one as they
insure thorough preparation of the soil and decrease the cost
of crop production.

\§ v^ v^

The Most Useful Farm Implement

By J. N. Harper

Director, South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station

I consider the disk harrow the most useful farm implement
the farmers of this region can own. It is invaluable in putting
land in shape in early spring after the land has been thoroughly
plowed with a disk plow during the previous fall. Much time
and labor is saved if the disk harrow is run over corn land
previous to the laying oif of the land just before planting. I
have also found the disk harrow valuable in listing land for
cotton. One time to the row is sufficient to make a bed on
which the bottom can be planted, whereas by the old method
it takes four to five furrows with Dixie plow to do the same work.

^^^

s

k

p

v-]'\

H

H

Field disked after plowing. This is a
common practice among farmers. It
does not remedy the bad condition
at the bottom of the seed bed

Disked cornstalk field disked and
harrowed after plowing. This leaves
the ground in perfect condition for
whatever kind of crop the farmer
desires to plant

Field illustrated above with com and
wheat planted. Observe that the
growth of the plant is somewhat bet-
ter than that shown in the illustration
on page 34, but that the same poor
condition exists at the bottom of the
seed bed

This illustration shows the field above
planted to wheat and corn. Observe
the healthy growth of plants, that
there is abundant root system, that
the rootlets can assimilate all the plant
food necessary

36

The Disk Harrow

By Daniel Scoates

Professor of Agricultural Engineering, Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College

If the plow can be called the king of

farm implements, then surely the disk

harrow is properly named the queen of

the same family. As Longfellow said

|||. .|ip|... w>i about man and woman, so can it be said

W ^ of the plow and the disk harrow — "use-

^t less each without the other." The disk

Vjgg^ ^ harrow rules from the plains of Montana

^Jt^^B^^ where disking means saving crops by

^M^^^^^^M saving moisture, to the hills of Mississippi

jUJ^^mm where disking means death to erosion.

There are several kinds of disk har-
rows, for instance the cutaway, spading, full disk, etc. But let
us pay our attention to the full disk, for this harrow is really
the mother of all the rest, which at best are only special tools
to be used under certain conditions. This implement should
be on every farm, whether the farm be of small acreage, such
as that worked by a truck gardener, or of large areas as that
of the wheat grower. It has a mission to fulfill that is essential
to all farmers no matter what the size. It fulfills more places
on the farm of today than any other implement known. It is
truly the farmer's general utility implement.

To the farmer with limited or unlimited capital it should be
the second tool for him to purchase, next only to the plow.
The former farmer finds this tool able to do the work of many
that the latter can afford to buy. For example, it will cut up
corn or cotton stalks, act as a surface packer, cover grain that
has been broadcasted, grind up clods and pulverize the soil, etc.
Then when the capital of the farmer increases and allows him
to buy the other tools to help do this work, the disk harrow
just falls for its own special duty.

The disk harrow's special duty is to take the soil after the

37

Starting in to disk a cloddy field
Completion of the disking. The clods are well pulverized

plow has done its work and put on the finishing touches. The
result of these touches acts in different ways under as many
circumstances; if the land receives a heavy rainfall the disking
allows the soil to take up larger quantities of this moisture than
could be obtained under the former condition. Then the
absorption of this water has not only the benefit of storing up
moisture for the future use of the plants, but by allowing the
water to soak into the ground it prevents, to a certain extent,
surface washing of the land. This last benefit is one that is of
great importance to Southern farmers. Then the disking of
the surface gives still another advantage in that the breaking
up of the surface of the ground establishes what is known as a
mulch. This mulch breaks up the effect of capillarity, thus
causing rapid evaporation to cease and saving the moisture
stored in the soil for the use of the plants. This fact is of vital
importance to the farmer of the West and Northwest and
should be appreciated by the farmers of other sections.

It can be readily seen then that no matter whether you are
farming in Maine or Mississippi, in Alaska or Alabama, the
disk harrow is an essential farm tool; that the benefits are such
that an over-indulgence in its use does no harm while a lack of
its application spells failure.

The Disk Harrow in Texas

By H. H. Harrington

Director, Texas Experiment Station

The disk harrow is one of the most useful implements on
the farm. Before breaking sod with the plow, if the ground is
in just the right condition, it is sometimes desirable to run the
disk harrow both ways over the land, or if time will not permit
running both ways, run it one way, at least. This is especially
true in the spring when the sod may not have time to decay
before the coming crop. After breaking up cultivated fields
that are somewhat dry, the disk harrow will break down the
clods and put the soil in the best condition possible, if followed
by a smoothing harrow when necessary. In late plowing, when
the ground has become somewhat foul, the disk harrow will
give most satisfactory results toward killing weeds and grass;
the ground to be planted later. In the fall, the disk harrow is
frequently extremely useful in breaking up the land for wheat,
it sometimes being the case that no other preparation is nec-
essary before planting. But the most beneficial effect of the
harrow, perhaps, is on alfalfa meadows. It not only opens up
the soil so that the air can get to it, cuts the crown of the
alfalfa, and improves the stand, but it mulches the soil in such
a way that the young stubble grows oif more rapidly and pro-
duces a crop of hay quicker than on meadows left uncultivated.
In some instances, where the alfalfa is irrigated and the land
becomes severely baked, the renovator rather than the disk
harrow may be required, but in most instances the harrow will
be found a most efficient implement on alfalfa meadows, after
they are one year old.

40

The Disk Harrow

By G. H. Alford

Manager of Southern Branch Office, I H C Service Bureau

The Indiana, IHinois and Iowa farmer uses three times as
many farm implements and more than three times as much horse
power as the averag'e farmer in the cotton belt; and after all is
said, this is unquestionably the main reason why he earns more
than three times as much as we do.

We must use more and better implements; there can be no
arg-ument here. The only question is as to which are worth
most and which will pay best. We call your attention to the
disk harrow, an implement that can be purchased at half the
cost of a good riding" cultivator and an implement that can be
used for twelve months every year.

There was a time when the few farmers who owned disk
harrows used them to prepare new land and to destroy clods.
The intensive methods of farming have brought to light many
new uses for the disk harrow. A reversible disk harrow can be
used as a stalk cutter, as an implement for preparing the seed
bed on sandy land and preparing the seed bed after breaking
on all kinds of land, and then used to cultivate the crop.

A sharp disk does a fine job of cutting cotton and corn
stalks when they are dry. It is the best possible implement to
use in preparing a cotton stalk and corn stalk field for the plow.
Of course, it is best to use the stalk cutter first, but after the
stalk cutter has been used to cut the stalks into pieces, the sharp
disks do a fine job of cutting the stalks into smaller pieces, level
the ridges, and form a fine mulch. To get the land ready for
the plow, the gangs should be set close and run lengthwise over
the rows to cut the stalks into very short pieces and pulverize
the top of the soil.

The disk is used on unplowed land for the following pur-
poses: First, to prepare mellow land for grain and other crops
where deep plowing is seldom necessary; second, to cut and
mix barnyard manure, grass and trash so that when it is turned

41

The condition of a cotton stalk field
just before starting to prepare the
seed bed

Cotton stalk field treated with a cot-
ton stalk cutter and disked thoroughly

S"^^

^S

k

^^S

^^

^^^^H

^^^m

^m^^:^^^^^^aM

^^^^^^^^^^

^^^^^B

^^^^^m

iW^

^.

' '""4
. 1

The cotton stalk field shown above
after plowing. Observe that the stalks
and roots leave air spaces at the bot<
torn of the furrow

The field shown above after plowing.
Observe that there are no air spaces,
and that the ground can be soon worked
into a good seed bed

42

under, the surface soil will not be separated from the subsoil to
stop the rise of water; third, to produce a soil mulch on dry
land so that after a week or ten days, it can be easily plowed,
the moisture by this time having accumulated below the mulch
and softened up the land; fourth, to form a mulch of fine dirt
which fills up the spaces usually left between the furrowed slice
and the ground beneath, thus making the foundation for a fine
compact seed bed.

In the spring we are all in a rush to get our crops planted.
Our plow teams are overworked and even the best farmers
often fail to thoroughly prepare their land. It is much better
to take time by the forelock and disk the land and then break
it deep during the fall and winter. The plow stock are rested
and the weather is cool. When the land has been broken dur-
ing the fall and winter and for some time prior to planting, the
cotton seed bed can be quickly and easily made by arranging
the disk harrow for an inthrow and by adjusting the inner
ends of the gangs higher than the outer. With the harrow so
arranged, a man and two good animals can make much better
seed beds and do the work more quickly than several men in
the old fashioned way.

Cotton comes up quicker, grows faster and begins bearing
sooner on a well-settled, firm seed bed, consequently it is not
wise to plant cotton or other crops on freshly plowed land.
When the beds have been made by the use of the middle
burster or turning plow for some time before planting, it is
usually necessary to remake them and destroy the little grass
and weeds by arranging the disk harrow for an inthrow and
adjusting the inner ends of the gangs considerably higher than
the outer.

If the land has been flat broken and has been compacted by
heavy rains, the disk harrow is the most effective tool for the
preparation of the seed bed. When the ground has been
plowed for some time and is covered with grass and weeds, the
disk harrow will destroy the weeds and make a most excellent
seed bed for all kinds of crops. The soil that is in clods when

43

A common method of preparing the
cotton seed bed. Note that the ground
under the plowed furrow is hard and
cracked

A cotton seed bed prepared on plowed
ground with a reversible disk harrow.
Note the mellowness of the ground,
its compactness, and the regularity of
the seed bed

-^#ii^iilftfeite

Young cotton growing on a seed
bed prepared by the "Middlebuster"
method. Observe that the ground is
hard beneath, and that there is every
opportunity for moisture to escape

Cotton growing on ground properly
disked, plowed, and again disked.
Observe the compactness, that the
moisture will not escape unduly, and
that the roots can assimilate the nec-
essary plant food

41

you plant cotton, corn and other crops will seldom be of use
to you during the season unless you pulverize the clods. When
the soil breaks up into clods, by all means follow the plow
with the disk harrow and thus destroy the clods while moist.
The disk harrow pulverizes the soil thoroughly and if each
round is lapped no ridges of any consequence will be left.
Your field may be cloddy and weedy but a double disking with
a disk harrow or a single disking with a double disk harrow
will make a perfect seed bed of it. In the preparation of land
for any crop, no tool can be used to better advantage than the
disk harrow.

The disk harrow has special advantages over smoothing
harrows in ground with loose trash or growing weeds because
the disk cuts through the trash instead of dragging it along.

Where seed is sown broadcast, there is no more desirable
tool than the disk harrow for the purpose of putting the seed
into the ground. In the absence of the grain drill, the disk
harrow is the best possible implement to use to put in oats,
rye, wheat, cowpeas, soy beans, and others crops broadcast.

The disk harrow should follow the mower to pulverize the
soil for conserving the moisture and making plowing easier.
It is usually unnecessary to use the plow in cowpeas, soy beans
or sorghum after oats and the disk harrow is the implement to
use to do the work in a hurry at this busy season of the year.

A tongue and forecarriage should be purchased with every
disk harrow. The forecarriage is to be preferred when prepar-
ing the seed bed. It is a great aid in turning corners and at
the end of the row. It is also a decided advantage for the
team to have relief from the weight and lashing of the tongue
of the harrow. When cultivating crops and when using the
harrow on hilly land, the tongue is necessary to guide the
harrow.

The depth to which the disk cuts and the amount of dirt
thrown varies with the angle given the disk, the kind of soil,
and the weight of the man on the harrow. The draft of the
disk harrow as generally used is considerable for it moves much

45

A field before starting to prepare a cotton seed bed

The first step in the preparation of the cotton seed bed

The seed bed completed

46

dirt, and often cuts to a depth of several inches. Its best work
is generally done with three or more animals, though two
animals may do well on a harrow with no more than 8, 16 or
18-inch disks. When cultivating crops there is no necessity
for more than two good ariimals.

As a cultivator, the reversi ble extension head disk harrow
cannot be excelled. The gangs can be used close together or
wide apart; the gangs can be arranged to throw the dirt towards
or away from the plants and to work higher or lower on the
inner than the outer ends and vice versa; they can be set to
throw ridges to the plants or set to "bar off;" they can be set
to cut shallow close to the plants and deeper near the center of
the row.

The action of the disks upon the soil makes the disk harrow
a most excellent cultivator. The disks thoroughly pulverize
the surface of the soil, destroy the grass and weeds, leave the
under soil compact and a fine soil mulch spread all over the land.
The roots of the growing plants are undisturbed, especially
when the inner ends of the gangs are set higher than the outer
ends in cultivating plants on beds.

For cultivating cotton, potatoes, peanuts and other crops
that have to be hilled, the disk harrow is especially valuable
because it can be set to ridge the hills at the right height and
the dirt which is hilled around the plants is thoroughly pulver-
ized and cultivated, so that only fine soil makes the hills. A
fender may be used when cultivating small crops. The disk
harrow is probably the best implement to use in hilling cotton
and other crops grown on ridges.

A turning plow is out of place in a crop. If the soil is
devoid of vegetable matter and runs together after a heavy rain
or if it rains for two or three weeks and it becomes necessary to
bury grass, we can give a large angle to the disks and set the
gangs to outthrow and "bar off" the little cotton or other small
plants or we can set the gangs to inthrow and give the disks the
necessary angle to cover the grass and weeds and thoroughly
pulverize the soil. One man with two horses and a disk harrow

4V

Cultivating cotton with a reversible disk harrow throwing dirt away from the plant
Throwing dirt toward the plant
A cotton field after cultivation

can take a row of cotton or corn at one time and destroy the
grass and weeds and make a fine soil mulch out of the hardest,
sun-baked soil. An extension standard is furnished with the
latest reversible extension head harrow which raises the frame
hig-h enough so that cotton, corn or other crops can be ''laid by"
with this implement.

The gangs can be set at different angles for hillside cultiva-
tion. This is a very important point to the man whose farm is
in a rolling country, as he will appreciate the fact that a disk
harrow, particularly in loose soil, will tend to work down the
hillside. This can be obviated by setting the uphill gang to
work with a little greater cutting angle than the other gang;
thus causing the harrow to work in a straight line on the hill-
side.

The double disk harrow is desirable for farmers who wish to
do two diskings at the same time. It has four sections, two of
which throw the dirt out, followed by two more which throw the
dirt in, leaving the land level and smooth after its use. The
land is generally left somewhat ridged with the single disk even
though half, as nearly as possible, is lapped on the land already
worked. The double disk requires more horse power than the
single disk, but the ground is double-disked in the quickest
possible time and left in a very fine level condition. The main
advantage of the double disk other than saving labor is that
you can remove the rear attachment very quickly and easily,
and convert it into a single disk harrow.

The cutaway harrow is a disk harrow with the edges of the
disk notched or with portions of the disks cut out. This lets
the remaining portions cut deeper into the soil. It is useful in
cutting up sod and also in hard and rocky ground as it pene-
trates better and gets down between the rocks where the plain
disks would roll over the rocks. It does not pulverize as well
as the solid disk and hence should seldom be used when the
other will do good work.

49

Important Uses of the Disk Harrow

By H. D. ScuDDER

Professor of Agronomy, Oregon Agricultural College

While we consider the disk harrow one of the most valuable
all-around tools upon any farm, it is as yet very little used in
Oregon, owing, perhaps, to the lack of intensive tillage meth-
ods. While Western Oregon is adapted to the most intensive
forms of agriculture, it is just beginning to become developed
for this purpose, hence there will be, no doubt, a very greatly
increased demand for the disk harrow. This Station has car-
ried out no experiments with the specific object in view to de-
termine the exact value of the disk harrow, but the machine is
used in practically all of our Station farm work and from con-
tinued use we know something of its especial value in farm
work. In Western Oregon its greatest value is in preparing a
seed bed; following the plow in the spring we nearly
always use the common drag harrow and after this the disk
harrow, lapping as we go round with this machine, making it a
double disking. This generally is sufficient to prepare the grain
land for the drill or, w^here a more finely pulverized seed bed is
required for the sowing of small seed, perhaps one or two har-
rowings with the common drag harrow will complete the work.
Often on very tough, soddy and cloddy ground the disk harrow
is used more than once and some form of clod crusher also.

Another excellent use of the disk harrow is in disking up
stubble in the fall and carrying the ground through the winter
in good shape. The cutting of the stubble with the disk and
working up of the surface causes the decay of the organic mat-
ter and also a greater absorption of the winter's precipitation,
preventing to a considerable extent surface washing and aiding
in holding the snow. The ground disked in the fall is always,
as a rule, better prepared for plowing in the spring, no crust
having been formed and thus fewer clods being turned under in
plowing, so that a better union between the seed bed and the
ground underneath is effected.

51

52

The use of the disk harrow on stubble land early in the
spring before spring plowing starts, we also find very advanta-
geous for much the same reasons as the fall disking. In
addition, however, it aids greatly in for.l land in germinating all
the weed seed on the surface of the ground which later will
be turned under with the spring plowing.

Again, on the land which for several years has been deeply
plowed and which has been plowed in the spring of the last
season, we find that by using a disk harrow thoroughly and
setting it deep, we can prepare a good seed bed for fall seeding
and use fall sown wheat, oats, barley, and our great hay crop,
vetch and oats, or vetch and rye. Where the disk harrow is
used to prepare ground for fall seeding, it should always be
land that has been deeply plowed in the spring of the same
year.

We also find that the disk harrow is of great use in prepar-
ing a deep mulch on bare, fallowed land which is set either to
orchard or any other crop. The disking prepares a deep mulch
for the retention of moisture and also is very effective in
getting rid of persistent weeds.

A lesser use of the disk harrow is in the disking of the
alfalfa fields early in the spring. Setting the disk straight and
weighting the machine and running it crosswise cuts up the
surface of the alfalfa field and, when followed by a spring
tooth or common drag harrow, effectively prepares the loosened
surface and mulch and does away with grass and other sod-
forming weeds that injure the alfalfa, and, in fact, greatly
benefits it by splitting the crowns and thickening the stand.
The loosened surface we find especially effective in promoting an
expansion of the root crowns, as well as in furnishing a mulch
which aids in conserving moisture and increasing beneficial
activities.

Another use of the disk harrow which we find of especial
value in Oregon, is in connection with the plowing under of
cover crops as green manures — a very common practice not
only in orchard lands but in other kinds of farming as well.

53

(^:i

#

^

¥

i§E2^

il

^ I

Sometimes we run the disk over the green cover crops before
plowing, crushing- them down and cutting" so that where they
are heavy they will turn under better. And more important
still, however, after the cover crop is plowed under we follow
immediately with a drag harrow, then with a disk harrow.
The disk compresses and cuts in the plowed soil through the
layer of green material, thus preventing its drying out and
causing it to decay much more rapidly, becoming incorporated
with the soil as humus. We often use the disk harrow in the
same way with the barn yard manure, running over the
manured land with the machine before plowing under the
manure.

While there are many other uses of this valuable machine
which I have not mentioned, to my mind, these are the most
important, making the machine, in my estimation, one of
paramount importance for all such intensive forms of agri-
culture as require thorough tillage for the highest successful
production.

55

Starting to disk a cornstalk field

Note the short stalks and pulverized condition of the ground upon completion
of the disking

56

The Disk Harrow

By W. M. Jardine

Professor of Agronomy, Kansas State Agricultural College

According to experiments now under
way at the Kansas State Agricultural
College and at various sub-stations in
different parts of the state, the disk har-
row may be profitably employed in the
preparation of a seed bed for almost
every farm crop grown in the state.
While special experiments have not been
running sufficiently long to give definite
comparative yields, indications are that
when the disk harrow is intelligently
used, with respect to time, depth and
thoroughness, yields can be substantially increased, often
doubled, as a result. This statement is also borne out by
observations made among progressive farmers over the state
who are making good use of the disk harrow. Within the last
six years, its use among farmers has become almost as uni-
versal as that of the plow.

Kansas farmers are coming to realize that the disk harrow
has a broader application than simply as an efficient implement
with which to subdue raw soils, firm and pulverize plowed land
for seeding, and eradicate weeds under certain conditions. This
wider application comes as a result of the gradual development
of a more perfect type of harrow and its more intelligent use
by the farmer.

The following are some of the special purposes to which the
disk is now devoted in this state: Disking stubble land in July
after a crop of wheat, oats or barley has been taken from the
field, in preparation for summer or autumn planting of such
crops as cowpeas, alfalfa or grasses; disking stubble lands
immediately after removing a crop, to facilitate summer or
early autumn plowing in preparation for the planting of winter

57

58

wheat; disking corn-stalk ground in early spring for planting
to oats, barley, spring wheat, alfalfa, etc. We find that in the
eastern two-thirds of the state alfalfa can be started to better
advantage when planted in autumn than when planted in the
spring, provided a thoroughly firmed seed bed can be estab-
lished. A common practice, therefore, is to grow some early
spring-planted and early maturing crop, such as wheat, oats or
barley, after which the ground is prepared with the disk and
seeded to alfalfa in late August. If the land is plowed, the time
elapsing between harvesting and planting is too skort to allow
the soil to become thoroughly firmed into an ideal seed bed,
even with considerable disking. On the other hand, however,
disking without plowing has become recognized as the efficient
method of placing such lands in condition for alfalfa — hence its
general use. Both money and time are saved in this way and
a crop often established where otherwise it would have been
impossible. Likewise, a firm seed bed is necessary in which to
plant cowpeas in July after small grains have been removed
from the field. Cowpeas are becoming recognized as a valuable
crop to grow after a small grain crop, the same season. A
considerable acreage is planted in this way each year, with the
area constantly increasing. The seed bed is usually prepared
by disking rather than by plowing, because it can be done more
effectively and more economically.

The rainy season of Kansas usually terminates in early
August. That is to say, very little rain falls, ordinarily, be-
tween the 15th of August and the first of October. Autumn
plowing, therefore, is made rather difficult unless the moisture
precipitated earlier in the season is retained in the soil. Disk-
ing immediately behind the header or binder (to establish a
soil mulch and thereby retain moisture) is widely practiced
among good farmers. In this way July plowing is made pos-
sible with a consequent larger yield of wheat, usually double
what it is on land equally as good but not disked or plowed
until late August.

We find that cornstalk ground will produce more oats to

59

An orchard disk harrow in a California orange grove

The extension orchard disk harrow enables the driver to cultivate all the ground
under the trees without injury to the fruit

60

the acre if it is simply thoroughly disked and harrowed before
planting in early spring than if it is spring plowed, disked and
harrowed. In fact we find that the yield is as large and
sometimes larger, from simply disking early in the spring,
than when the same kind of land is fall plowed, then disked
and harrowed in the spring. In other words, cornstalk land
plowed in the fall and disked and harrowed in the spring
versus cornstalk land simply disked and harrowed early in the
spring and planted to oats gives about equally good results,
except that the disking alone is much the cheaper practice.

In the western part of the state, where dry farming is prac-
ticed, the disk harrow is used to firm and pack the subsoil by
running the disks straight and weighting them. By such use
the farmer is able to do the work of a sub-surface packer and
thereby save the price of another implement. In dry farming
where the conservation of moisture is of prime importance, the
disk harrow is indispensable. By the use of the plow the
water precipitated is allowed to sink deep into the soil, while
the disk is used to surface-mulch the soil, thereby holding the
soil moisture from evaporating. In accomplishing this an ideal
seed bed is established as well.

He who would till the soil best in Kansas today, whether
he be located in eastern, central or western Kansas, must make
full use of the disk harrow.

61

IHC

Es^H^ejJa S^RVK£B\IRfA\l [5U^i.fe^a

LKCTURES— "The Pawn of Plenty'' (The Story
of Hreati), illustrated with colored views and motion
pictures; "The Builders" (The Story of Business),
not illustrated. Descriptive circulars, terms, etc.,
for the asking.

SLIDES — Sets of slides, with printed lectures, $1.00
per week per set, plus express charges.

OTHER SERVICE — Photographs. 10 cents per
print; cuts at engravers' cost; articles for the press,
data and information free.

Single In

Copies Quantities
The Story of Bread - - - - 3 Cents 2 Cents

A bright, interesting story of

the world-old struggle for

cheap bread.
Creeds of Great Baslness Men 5 " 3 "

Entertaining sketches of men

who helped to build the busi-
ness world in which we live.
The Golden Stream - - - - S " 2 "

A volume of plain, everyday

information on the many

phases of dairying.
For Better Crops 6 " 3

A collection of valuable ar-
ticles of everyday use on

farm subjects.
The Story of Twine .... 3 " 2

Tracing twine from the raw

fibre to the finished product.
The Engine Operator's Guide 3 " 2 '

How to operate, repair, and

keep in good condition a

gasoline or oil engine.
The Cattle Tick 2 " 1 "

AVhat the tick does to cattle,

and how to get rid of it.
For Better Crops In the South 4 " 3 "

It deals with crops and con-
ditions in the southern states.
The Disk Harrow 4 " 2 •'

Tells how to properly prepare

the seed bed.
The Binder Twine Industry - 20 " IS "

48 pages, done in three col-
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making twine.
Harvest Scenes of the World - 50 " 35 "

150 pages, handsomely

bound, in two colors.
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granary.
Quantity lots are sent by express or freight collect.
Send for a descriptive circular.

O^

>»?

SELECT

MACHINES FROM
THE LIST BELOW ON
WHICH YOU WISH
CATALOGUES OR
FOLDERS. THESE
ARE MAILED FREE.

I H C LINE

GRAIN MACHINES

BINDERS

REAPERS

HEADERS

HEADER BINDERS
HAY MACHINES

MOWERS

RAKES

TEDDERS

HAY LOADERS

SWEEP RAKES

STACKERS

SIDE DELIVERY RAKES

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COMBINED SWEEP RAKE
AND STACKERS
CORN MACHINES

PLANTERS

CULTIVATORS

BINDERS

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HUSKER AND SHREDDERS
TILLAGE

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CULTIVATORS

SPRING-TOOTH HARROWS

PEG-TOOTH HARROWS

COMBINATION HARROWS
GENERAL LINE

MOTOR TRUCKS

FEED GRINDERS

CREAM SEPARATORS

BINDER TWINE

OIL AND GAS ENGINES

OIL TRACTORS

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THRESHERS

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MANURE SPREADERS

KNIFE GRINDERS

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SEEDERS

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FARM WAGONS AND
TRUCKS

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MAY 25 1943

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY