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Show Best Cultivation Gives Garden a Close Shave i!lii?ii!i!l!!iiinii! ..,!:, , pi II g II! jliiiipiiilili!!!: WP !i'r' I ' - " " ' ' . " . " " 1 h 1 I t 1 i. ' ,- , ' i Cultivating1 the garden not only benefits the plants, but gives posture training to the planter. No garden technique has been more changed by research scientists sci-entists than cultivation. It used to be thought that the deeper the soil between plant rows was stirred, the better for growing plants. Tools were devised to sink into the soil, and it took a strong man to use them. That burden has been lifted from the amateur, by tests which proved that deep stirring of the soil was actually harmful. It disturbed dis-turbed feeding roots which the . Units needed, and lost moisture which they could use. Today correct cor-rect cultivation of a garden is no more difficult that sweeping a floor. The research scientists, in fact, say that the secret of correct cultivation is to take it easy. Cultivation Cul-tivation should begin as soon as the young plants begin to grow. At this stage, if the soil between be-tween plants is stirred it will be found to be full of tiny white sprouts, which are weeds, beginning be-ginning to develop. One easy stroke of a sharp hoe or cultivating tool will destroy scores of them before thc-y have begun to compete with the vegetable vege-table plants for available plant food and water. As long as weeds are killed in infancy, cul tivation will be easy, but once they are allowed to be gin substantial growth, not only do crops suffer, but work will increase, and the care of the garden may become a chore. It is seldom necessary to stir the grounp deeper than one inch. This is sufficient to kill young weeds, without disturbing the roots of the vegetable plants. It also breaks the soil crust, and allows air and water to penetrate readily. Besides destroying weeds in the space between rows, those which grow in the row itself must be pulled when tiny. This requires hand work, and is always tedious, tedi-ous, but if attended to promptly it takes little time, and once the vegetables have become well established, hand weeding will be unnecessary. Free air circulation in the soil has been proved to be a vital factor fac-tor in the growth of plants. In properly porous soil there is a complete change of air to a depth of eight inches every hour. When the soil becomes compacted and crusted on the surface, this exchange ex-change is seriously hampered. Crust formation can be checked by various methods, including the application of a mulch, or by gi owing a Jiving mulch of fescue gi asses. I'.ut lacking a mulch fre-' fre-' quent shallow cultivation is nec- ( ssary, especially after every , ra in. |