GARDEN TILLAGE 51 



is the part of wisdom to adopt the latter alternative. 

 Aside from its effect in the prevention of weeds, early culti- 

 vation is of the greatest value in breaking up the crust 

 that packs firmly around the tender growing stems of 

 plants and which seriously interferes with their growth. 

 Like all surface cultivation it is also an aid in the conserva- 

 tion of moisture in the soil. 



Importance of Not Allowing Weeds to go to Seed. 

 A common source of weed infection is often found in the 

 few weeds that are allowed to go to seed toward the end of 

 the growing season in the maturing crop or after the crop 

 has been gathered. To some persons it often seems a 



Fig. 9. Useful types of hand weeders. 



small matter to allow a few plants of pigweed, purslane, 

 tumbleweed, and weeds of other kinds to go to seed in the 

 garden, but absolute cleanliness should be the rule in this 

 particular, and it is by far the most economical in practice in 

 the long run. It requires but little labor and saves much use- 

 less expense if the weeds that are going to seed are destroyed. 

 If the preventives for weeds here suggested are closely 

 followed, hand weeding will be reduced to a minimum and 

 will often be unnecessary with any crop. 



Weed Seeds in the Manure for the Garden. While the 

 discussion of the subject of manures for the garden is 

 not the special object of this chapter, yet some reference to 

 the subject is quite necessary in considering the subject of 

 weed eradication. The people of this section have not yet 

 learned the great value of barnyard manure and its proper 



