Such a little time as might intervene between dry
plowing and sowing could not be charged with any appreciable destruction
of soil fertility. It is altogether more probable that your hay crop was
less from loss of moisture than from loss of other plant food; and it is
desirable to harrow a dry plowing, not so much to save the soil from the
action of the atmosphere, as to conserve the moisture, which, as you
know, will rise from below and will rapidly be evaporated from the
undisturbed bases of your furrows. Therefore, we should harrow a dry
plowing as soon as practicable, but with particular reference to the
moisture supply rather than to other forms of fertility.
Straw for Humus.
Do you consider straw good to plow under for humus, and which kind,
wheat, oat, or barley straw, is best?
Straw, by its decay in the soil, produces humus and, therefore acts in
the same way just as does the decay of other forms of vegetation. As,
however, straw is less easily decomposed than fresh vegetation, it is
less valuable and may be troublesome by acquiring a greater amount of
moisture by interfering with cultivation or by tending to dry out the
soil to the injury of other plants. If the soil is heavy and moisture
abundant, straw may be desirable, while in the case of a light soil and
scant moisture, may be injurious. There is no particular difference in
the straw of the different grains from this point of view.
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