. Elements of farm practice. Agriculture. 20 ELEME^'TS OF FARM PRACTICE packed and hard, and must be loosened to prepare it for a new crop, if we desire to meet the conditions of nature. Plowing saves moisture for the next crop. When the ground is packed, as it is when the crops are removed in the fall, it is so hard that when it rains much of the water runs off over the surface instead of settling down into the soil. Plowing overcomes this difficulty, and by loosening the surface, any moisture that may be in the subsoil (the soil below the plowed furrow) is retained, because this water cannot

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. Elements of farm practice. Agriculture. 20 ELEME^'TS OF FARM PRACTICE packed and hard, and must be loosened to prepare it for a new crop, if we desire to meet the conditions of nature. Plowing saves moisture for the next crop. When the ground is packed, as it is when the crops are removed in the fall, it is so hard that when it rains much of the water runs off over the surface instead of settling down into the soil. Plowing overcomes this difficulty, and by loosening the surface, any moisture that may be in the subsoil (the soil below the plowed furrow) is retained, because this water cannot readily pass up through the loose plowed soil. If the ground were not plowed, the soil moisture would rise to the surface by capillarity, just as oil rises in a lampwick, and when it got near the surface the sun and wind would evaporate it. Plowing Destroys Weeds.—It is natural for all good soils to be producing some- thing at all times during the growing season. As soon as the crop is re- moved (and very often before) weeds begin to grow. If no precaution is taken, they will go to seed, and thus cause trouble later. Plowing stops their growth. It also turns up new soil to the light, and weed seeds which have been too deep in the soil to grow, are brought near the surface where they can grow. If the plowing is done in the fall these weeds start to grow, but do not have time to pro- duce seed before they are Figure 7.—First year clover growing in stub- killed by irOSt. ble. Such a crop is better pasture than Plowing DeStTOyS In- many cattle are furnished, and IS a benefit * iv^ »»"*& .^y^^i^vj^ **» to the soil. It would be unwise to plow such SCCtS. jManymsectS, SUCll a field early in the fall, if one has stock i ' j . 4. that can use the feed. aS gl'aSS hopperS and CUt-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly r