CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 49 



PHYSICAL CONDITION OF SOIL. 



When our farmers grasp the real meaning of the little 

 things just referred to, that is, that a certain physical or 

 mechanical condition of the soil must exist where the roots 

 and rootlets should grow, and that this condition is govern- 

 ed by the time and kind of tillage, and that only a slight 

 variation from the ideal condition because of unscientific 

 tillage or fitting may, and often does make, five, ten or 

 twentv-five bushels per acre difference in the yield, then 

 it is that we shall know by results what the possibilities 

 of our great prairies are. 



After the packer has been used, by then employing 

 the ordinary smoothing harrow, or any late improved 

 harrow, the surface is pulverized and made fine and the 

 lower part of the upper portion, which is shown as loose 

 and coarse in cut No. 1, is made firm, forming a perfect 

 seed bed. The lower part made firm by the packer forms 

 the main root bed, while cut No. 4 shows field complete. 



MANY IDEAS AS TO PLOWING. 



With this general explanation, let us return to the 

 subject of plowing. With the varied experiences of the 

 average farmer throughout the semi-arid west there has 

 arisen a great variety of ideas with reference to depths 

 of plowing, and whether it is advisable even to plow more 

 than once in two or three years. Some have resorted to 

 double-listing, each farmer believing he has conceived a 

 very plausible reason why he should plow three or five inches 

 or why he should not plow at all. I fully appreciate the 

 honesty and good intentions of the farmer, but the reason 

 there is such a great variety of opinion is because he does 

 not grasp the importance of having a certain physical 

 condition of the soil, one that is favorable to holding the 

 largest amount of moisture to the square inch; one that 



