Progressive Agriculture 119 



of capillary water. This is a condition that should 

 be found in summer tilled ground soon after a rain, 

 especially in a soil that has only a light percentage 

 of sand. 



This is a very important point to be observed 

 in your summer tilled fields. If your top firm soil 

 immediately beneath the mulch does not carry 

 sufficient moisture to nearly or quite represent 

 the latter condition referred to, you can rest 

 assured that you have not given your field the 

 best of tillage. You have lost moisture either by 

 growth of weeds, or the allowing of your ground 

 to lie too long with a shallow mulch without 

 cultivation, or your seed bed is not sufficiently 

 fine and firm. Properly handled, summer tilled 

 fields should carry this high per cent of capillary 

 water in the upper portion of the firm soil right 

 through the season or until the crop begins to 

 grow, unless your soil is very sandy. This not 

 only applies to summer tilling for wheat, but to 

 quite a degree in early spring tilling for late plant- 

 ing for cane or corn. 



THE AUGER AS A TILLAGE INDICATOR 



By the study of your various fields during the 

 summer season using the soil auger as a guide, 

 you will very soon appreciate how very vital to 

 the larger yields of all your crops is the cultivation 

 of your fields at just the right time. 



The one great question the fanner must recog- 

 nize is that his last rain though it be a good one, 

 may be the last one for the season. Therefore, 

 it is up to the farmer to direct his work from early 



