| Show Nor OWNS mint Ctwd by Irl 1 11 Taft nt the last annual m tint 4 the Michigan Rial > Ilortliuliuiil roi It ty Uven If I the sol Is I entirely free from wosolielill frequent tillage should be the rule It the surface soil ls frequently stirred so that It la I kept light nnd oln the evaporation of water will bi Hrwtlj decreased After a rain tin general I eo < ine of the water In the soil Is downwsrd Impelled both by gravity nnd capillary attraction As noon nil tho rain reaie and evaporation from the surface begins an upward move mcul commence the water passing from a moist particle to tile drier one nbove that has given off part of Its moisture This Is I due to the ndheelon of the water to the soil particle nnd Ibo tendency to establish an oqulllb turn When the soil has been pull died by rains It ls I cUwly packed together to-gether and the sides ot the soil PAW clerfnre In close contact To It certain extent this It desirable In the under Mil at It aids the rnnlllnry fiction of the particle In bringing the water up from below toward the surface where II will be available for the plants To bo of value to the plant however It must le held there And prevented from ovnpomtlng It lie I in part becnuso ho stirring of the surface loosens It And by In reaming the size of Ibo spnces between the I particle of the soil leavens ho rapidity with which capillary nt traction cnn lift tho water to the very surface that cultivation has such n wonderful effect upon the growth ot plants It It I a wellknown fact that evnpora lon Is I most rapid lend tho most writer U I given off from a rlay Mil where the surface has been allowed to bako that Is I the rains have puddled It nnd brought tho surface of the particles very closely together so that ns capillary capil-lary attraction Is I very rapid the water It I carried to the surface unit evaporated evaporat-ed faster than It can bo brought up from below ivrn If n sandy loam I Poll It I unfilled the nmount of water given on It I onehalf greater than I from another of n similar nature where tho surface of tho soil Is lcpt looie The portion of tho soil that h I loosened fully bo the drier for It anti for this reason n roll that Is I too wet mny be aided In giving off Its surplus water by deep tillage but In a properly prop-erly drained soil It Is I better to allow tho water to sink down to tho level of the ground water than to aid In throwIng throw-Ing It off Into tho nlr where It will bo lost to the crop Iletlde the Injury that will bo done by deep tlllngo In cutting oft the roots of plants tile water that Is I given off from the stirred toll would prove of considerable benefit I to tile crop In a dry season Aside from Us vnluo In destroying weeds nnd preventing tho evaporation from tho surface cultivation cultiva-tion by keeping tha soil loose and preventing aid In venting n trust from forming aerating nnd In developing plant food In the soil For garden crops It Is I well to have some tool that cal be run over the surface a few days after tho need Is lon and before tho plants are up This will not only break tho crust lend prevenl evaporation but It will destroy de-stroy tho young weeds and save hand weeding A little Inter It should bo done again The common steel rake wu formerly used for this purpose bat wo have found tho Improved llr vl vreeder to do about an good work and It rovers a strip eight feet wide I 1 t started before a crust forms and It I used once n week It will keep the ground In perfect condition without Injury In-jury to tho plants For orchards after they have been brought Into good condlton In tho spring they do good work For heavy soils especially If they relive been allowed to bake some ot tho smoothing hnrrovs may he I preferable but after Iho first dragging In the spring It Is belt to keep the deep working tools out ot the orchard Tile effect ot frequent shallow cultivation culti-vation Is I not only to enable the trees to make a good growth anti perfect their crop but It will generally tasters the development ot fruit hula for tho next years crop while on tho other hand the trees without cultivation In n weak condition nnd tho crop ot fruit will bo small old Imperfect I In claimed by romo persons that cultivation Into In the season causes a late growth and that rite tree are likely to bo winter billed but till seldom sel-dom results It Ibo cultivation has been continuous When from press of work or other cause no cultivation Is I given during the month ot July tho trees suffer from lack ot water growth stops and tho wood nnd buds ripen up for winter If after this tins taken ill sea thcsollla again stirred n second growth It I likely to occcur and winter killing will bo Almost certain to follow The operation ot rolling It I thought by some to bo of benefit by preventing tho evaporation evap-oration of water from Ibo surface but If anything It I hat tile opposite effect Upon light soils rolling Is I ot value to Increase tha capillary passage ot the inter from tha under noil Into tho portion that vas turned by the plow by bringing the particles cloter In contact con-tact This will Increase the amount that f nvullttblo to tho plants and for Increasing tile amount of water In the very surface soil It Is I ot especial value to aid tha germination of seeds aea Tho opposite effect u I often teen when a soil that U Quito dry Is plowed for some crop In I the rolp te a drought The capillary movement It I greatly hindered and tha surfaced toll will become 1 dry that tho vteds will germinate very slowly It at nil while had the land been rolled or In the case of wheat drilled In without plowing more water would have been available and a better germination would have been Secured While tha nature of tho operation required oleoton quired In tho fitting of tho land and Its care will vary according to the toll and crop every ono should have a knowledge of Ibo requirements of each and tile effect upon Ibo movements of the wacr In tile soil of the various methods of treating tho land and then should take such steps ns will secure and retain for the crop tho desired amount of water |
