136 . Practical Farming 



of these evils occur when the farmer uses a plow in the 

 final cultivation of the corn crop to throw up a ridge of 

 earth to the rows of corn, which is not only not needed 

 there, but, by being removed from the middle of the rows 

 where the roots are feeding, the soil is dried out, and even 

 the roots which the plow failed to cut are destroyed by 

 the drying of the soil. 



^ ,. . There are three conditions needed in the 



Needed in the soil in order that any plant may thrive or 

 Soil for Plant any seed germinate. These are, first, the 

 Growth presence of moisture in due amount but not 



in excess; second, the presence of the oxygen of the air, 

 and third, the presence of the proper temperature suited 

 to the plants cultivated. If any one of these is entirely 

 lacking no plant can grow, and a deficiency of any one 

 leads to a feeble growth. 



Another reason for shallow cultivation of the soil is the 

 fact that it makes the soil warmer. It has been found 

 that a soil cultivated but one and a half inches deep was 

 much warmer than when it was cultivated three inches 

 deep. This was the case even to a depth of three feet. 

 Hence, the keeping of the shallow blanket of fine soil on 

 the surface enables us to retain heat as well as moisture. 

 Since the roots of our upland plants penetrate deeply into 

 the soil, it is necessary that the air shall penetrate deeply. 

 And there is another important reason for the deep loosen- 

 ing of the soil. The presence of oxygen is not only essen- 

 tial to the activity of the plant roots, but the bacteria which 

 are engaged in the process of releasing nitrogen from 

 organic matter in the soil, and transforming it into nitrates 

 so that green leaved plants can use it, thrive only in the 



