Agricultural operation

Let us now consider the sequence of agricultural operations, beginning with seed-bed preparation.

First of all comes stubble-cleaning which is made by means of a stubble cleaner. This machine turns up the ground, mixes it up with the stubble and partly turns it over. Now we must consider ploughing. In modern practice ploughing is effected by gang-ploughs which are generally trailers, but are sometimes also mounted on the bottom of the plough. The foot cuts the soil, after which the share goes into the ground more deeply, while the mouldboard throws the slices aside. Seed-bed preparation has to be considered as a preliminary to other kinds of field-work. Seed-bed preparation is effected by refining with the help of sweepers, next with tine and disc harrows, then by levelling, cultivation and occasionally rolling.

After that comes seeding which is at present practically always effected by means of tractor-driven drills. Not unfrequently fertilizers are applied at the same time as drilling takes place. This practice is known as ferti-seeding. Otherwise tractor-drawn spreaders are used. With some crops, cluster-pocket (or checkrow) planting is employed. After that shoots begin to show. In the case of some crops, hilling is necessary while the extraction of weeds by means of weeders is of prime importance seeing that they may stifle the crop or, at least, arrest its growth. These operations can be practised with row-crops which are sown with interrows permitting cultivation.

When the crop is ripe and there is a spell of fine weather harvesting sets in. Swath or subsequent pickup harvesting is now recommended practice. The old way of reaping with the help of scythes and sickles has universally given way to harvesting with the help of harvester-combines which cut, thresh, winnow and bin the corn in one operation. Combines are practically always self-propelled, though they are occasionally tractor-drawn with power take-off (pto). Not outdated, however, are also reapers, which are often of great help during the hot time of harvesting. The best of them are windrowers and self-binding reapers, making ready sheaves on the field.

The time of haymaking is also a, time when every hour of dry weather must be seized. Mowers work on the grassland day and night and the hayrake following them is as busy picking up the cut grass, whereupon the hay is left to dry, then tedded and at last made into haystacks, very often mechanically, by means of a hayloader. Improved haymaking combines are much in use now.