J oitnial of A^^riciiltitri 



[lo April, 1909. 



turned up into rough clods. 

 the roots are not furnished 

 with available plant food ; 

 hence the necessity of such 

 a thorough and minute pul- 

 verization cf the seal ihat 

 will not only bring it into 

 closer contact with the roots. 

 but will increase its water- 

 holding capacity. 



The tirst condition there- 

 fore is a thoroughly pul- 

 verized seed bed. The 

 water is found in a film 

 around each particle of soil 

 and the more particles there 

 are, that is, the finer the 

 soil has been broken up, the 

 greater capacity for water. 

 The physical condition, that 

 is, the friability, openness, 

 or crumbliness of a soil, is 

 most es.sential to growing 

 good crops ; also its capa- 

 city for absorbing and re 

 taining water, its per- 

 meability to roots and its 

 capacity for absorbing and 

 retaining heat, are of more 

 importance than its chemical 

 composition. 



The next important thing 

 is close contact of the turned 

 furrow with the subsoil be- 

 neath. Why ? Because 

 no furrow slice, however 

 thoroughly broken up, can 

 hold anything like the 

 amount of moisture neces- 

 sary for the plants that 

 grow in it ; hence it must be 

 in close mechanical contact 

 with the subsoil, in orde^r 

 that water may be drawn up 

 by capillary action and thus 

 be made available for the 

 plant. To plough as some 

 farmers do and let it lie 

 without subsequent pul- 

 verization and impaction to 

 make this connexion with the 

 subsoil, is simply to dry 

 it out. 



