TILLAGE
From page 43
1m working width upwards
and for straightforward work
one will ideally want a
working width greater than
the width of one's tractor to
ensure that the tractor's wheel
tracks are cultivated as well
with each pass. This is not the
case if one is attempting strip
beds or raised beds, in which
case the tractor will straddle
the bed and its wheels will
run in permanent channels
on either side. In such a case
a working width to suit the
width of the bed, narrower
than the tractor, will be
sought.
One of the downsides of
rotary cultivation of all types,
say detractors, is that the
regular mushing-up of the soil
breaks down the particles,
eventually leading to a finer,
heavier soil. If this is indeed
so this action can be countered by the regular incorporation of organic matter (along
with any chemical fertilizer
being used), spread over the
soil before it is cultivated, as a
single pass of a rotary
cultivator is sufficient to
incorporate such material
evenly and smoothly into the
soil.
If rotary cultivation is not to
your taste and if your lands
are large, any number of
tractor-drawn implements will
Small tractor-rotavator combination
44
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also do the job, although it
may take more than one pass
with different implements to
achieve a decent tilth.
Chief among the non-PTOdriven implements are chisel
ploughs and tined cultivators
of different styles and sizes.
These typically loosen the soil
to a depth of 10-15 cm,
cutting through the roots of
weeds and plants, generally
disturbing the soil but not
markedly turning it over. In
this way they leave a smooth
friable working surface in one
pass.
This is unlike the
action of a plough
(either disc or
mouldboard) which
is expressly to turn
over soil (upending
weeds and plants in
the process) and
leave a furrowed
surface.
Furrowed land will
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