1760 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



physical condition. Good tilth, which generally implies a proper state 

 of granulation, is therefore important and attention may well be given 

 to the means for its maintenance. 



Methods of improving tilth 

 Proper tilth of the topsoil may be largely effected by tillage operations 



conducted at the right time and in the proper manner. 



With tillage must 



Fig. 92. — Soil in good tilth. The Meeker harrow is a very efficient pulverizing tool. 

 It consists of a series of small disks fitted rigidly to a straight axle 



be associated the right moisture condition of the soil. The use of crops 

 and crop rotation, of manures, fertilizers, and lime, is helpful to this end. 



The full depth of the root-zone cannot usually be reached by surface 

 tillage. Attention should be given to the subsoil quite as much as to the 

 topsoil. A subsoil that is too dense may be improved by various indirect 

 means, particularly by drainage, which promotes beneficial action of 

 plant roots, of earthworms, and of other forms of animal and insect life 

 that live in the soil. 



Conditions which promote granulation. — The best conception of the 



