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The Breaking-plow

Categories: TILLAGE

Land containing enough clay to give it an excellent

soil inclines to become firm. During the growth of a crop, when plant

roots fill the soil and prevent deep stirring, the particles pack

closely together, limiting the power of the land to make fertility

available. The presence of organic matter counteracts, in part, this

packing tendency, but there are few soils that remain permanently

mellow. The breaking-plow is used to loosen the soil, and to undo the

firming that has been taking place while plant roots prevented deep

tillage. At the same time the plow may be used to bury organic matter

below the surface, affording a clean seed-bed. In some soils it has

value in bringing inert soil to the surface, and in mixing the soil

constituents.



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