Progressive Agriculture 9 



Now all of this means a great deal to the farmer 

 and it will require thoughtful care and intelligent 

 handling right from the start, no half-hearted 

 work will win out. At the outset it should be 

 said that set rules, regarding the mechanical work 

 in all soils, cannot be made that will take the place 

 of those worked out by local intelligent observa- 

 tion. The most that can be done is to establish 

 the right principles most favorable to plant 

 growth, leaving to each farmer to work out the 

 problem of mechanical work largely with his own 

 tools and in his own way and according to the 

 special conditions that obtain in his own fields. 

 Once you catch on to the real fundamental prin- 

 ciples, you will ever after find yourself intensely 

 interested. 



Please observe, as previously outlined, that it is 

 not alone needful that there shall be such tillage 

 as will tend to store water in the soil that it may 

 be on hand when needed, but the farmer must 

 just as surely direct his efforts to bringing about 

 soil conditions that will utilize this moisture in 

 every available form to increase the available 

 plant food. This means a soil condition where 

 there is combined in the soil, the proper propor- 

 tion of air and water so that the summer heat, 

 when it comes, will develop the conditions that 

 make for rapid and healthier growth of the plants. 



SEVEN POINTS IN TILLAGE 



To more clearly establish the main points in 

 tillage the subject has been divided into seven 

 heads or general classes for consideration. It is 



