Tilling the land

Ploughing after harvest in autumn, before winter frost, is called autumn ploughing; a folk proverb also says autumn ploughing matters most. Aims of autumn ploughing: to create a deep loose layer (water and air enter well), to bury fertiliser and plant remains, to bury weed seeds deep and bring roots to the surface where frost and drought kill them, to bring wintering pests to the surface or bury them, and to leave unevenness on the surface to trap snow. Land is ploughed in two ways: circular (the tractor goes from the field edge to the middle, turning places are ploughed shallow, the plough is not lifted at turns and can break, so it is rarely used) and in 40–60 m strips (the surface is even and depth uniform; the drawback is that turning places are ploughed separately). To avoid ridges and furrows, the strips are ploughed inward one year and outward the next. Ploughing is done with a large tractor and plough: children do not enter the field or go near it.