THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 151 



plants of any kind. This character should always be 

 given them as far as possible. The ploughing should be 

 performed early— the sod carefully inverted — if sandy, 

 turning flat — if clayey, lap furrows — and doing the 

 work as regards moisture, when it will be most effective. 

 Eolling will be beneficial on most soils — after this, the 

 harrow thoroughly employed, and again the wheel-cul- 

 tivator or gang-plough, so as to destroy the weeds which 

 may appear, as well as to excite the germination of 

 those which lie dormant in the soil, that they also may 

 be destroyed. 



" 2. Deep culture is beneficial because it enlarges the 

 capacity of the soil to supply nourishment to plants. 

 A deep, free soil will allow the fine rootlets of ffrowino: 

 crops to extend through it at pleasure ; and such a soil 

 is filled with their roots in a manner surprising to every 

 one on a first examination. Numerous healthy roots 

 insure a vigorous growth of that part of the plant above 

 ground — such as is never observed on a hard and shal 

 low soil. We believe deep ploughing has never failed 

 to benefit well-drained soils (not naturally too porous 

 and light already), unless the subsoil was of a very pe- 

 culiar character. In such cases, deepening will prove 

 beneficial if gradually performed — an inch or two may be 

 brought to the surface at each ploughing without injury. 



" 3. Fine culture — the thorough pulverization of the 

 soil — is also necessary to its full productiveness. The 

 ground should be open to the influences of air and 

 moisture — should be free to the shooting of the most 

 minute rootlets of the growing crop. The ameliorating 

 effects of fallowing are in part due to the thorough dis- 

 integration of the soil by mechanical working and long 

 exposure to atmospheric influences. Little addition of 



