116 Bulletin 174. 



3. Do you exjyect 2)ei"i^'^(^f^'^'^<2i^tly higher j^'i^^oes for far^n produce f 

 The past may be taken as a reasonably fair indication of the 



future. 



4. Do you set a certain yield before your mind xohen you are 

 preparing for a crop f Or do you expect to he content with what 

 comes? 



In the first case, you are farming with your head as well as with 

 your hands, and the aim is to control circumstances as much as pos- 

 sible : the work is done on a good business basis. In the latter case, 

 you are allowing yourself to be ruled entirely by circumstances and 

 your work is not conducted in a good business-like manner. The 

 same careful, judicious business management is necessary in farm- 

 ing that is needful in a successful commercial enterprise. 



5. An inch of rainfall weighs ahout 113 tons to the acre. About 

 3P0 tons of water is required to produce one ton of dry matter. 

 Do you have rainfall enough in June.^ Jidy and August to main- 

 tain a heavy crop of Indian corn or cabbage? 



In considering this question one must keep in mind the fact that 

 much of the rain-fall drains off into streams, especially on hilly land ; 

 also that large quantities are evaporated before the plants can take 

 it up. On account of these losses only a part of the rain is available 

 for the plants. Usually the rainfall in midsummer is not sufficient 

 to maintain a heavy crop, and so we must try to save, by thorough 

 cultivation, what fell earlier in the season. 



6. Does surface tillage make soil moist, or keep it 'moist ? 



It keeps it moist by preventing the soil from drying out. When 

 soil is left undisturbed for a long time, and it becomes packed down, 

 the moisture in the soil works toward the surface and is evaporated, 

 passing off into the air. Tillage makes a surface mulch which the 

 soil moisture cannot readily pass through. It is equivalent to cover- 

 ing the soil with a layer of straw or a board. Every farmer knows 

 how moist it is under a pile of straw which has remained in the 

 same place for some time, or under a board. This straw or board 

 does not make tlie soil moist but prevents it from becoming dry. 

 This is what tillage does. 



7. Why does deep fall plowing make soils " warm^^ or " early " 

 in spring ? 



