CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 71 



over many fields that spring to investigate and study the 

 cause as far as possible. One fact was invariably percep- 

 tible where the soil was light and loose to a considerable 

 depth, the wheat was entirely dead. In the more com- 

 pact portions or spots in the fields, the condition of the 

 wheat was found better. For instance, along the sides 

 of the dead furrows almost all of the wheat was found to 

 in a perfectly healthy condition, while on the back furrows 

 it was usually all dead. Again, at the corners of the 

 fields where lands were plowed around, and the horses 

 in turning had tramped and packed the plowed ground, 

 the wheat was found to be in good condition. The horse 

 foot and wheel tracks invariably had a favorable 

 effect. This is a condition and result that is corroborated 

 by all investigators, that if there is plenty of moisture in 

 the ground there is little or no danger of freezing or winter 

 killing, while if the soil is loose and becomes too dry serious 

 results follow. The same was fully shown in the quota- 

 tion from the Illinois Agricultural college bulletin, por- 

 tions of which we quote under the heading of " Raising 

 Trees." These conditions bear out all observations, both 

 with reference to the fact that packing the soil will increase 

 the water contents of those portions, and the further fact 

 as stated by the Illinois bulletin, that if there be plenty of 

 moisture about the roots there is practically no injury 

 from freezing. 



VALUE OF HEALTHY ROOT SYSTEM. 



One point which we have tried to impress upon our 

 readers at different times, is the fact that plants cannot 

 thrive and produce abundant yields without a perfectly 

 healthy root system and a perfect root system is a phy- 

 sical impossibility in coarse, loose soils. Professor King 

 has shown by practical experiments, and all observation 



