SOILS AND CROPS. 



17 



SOILS, CROPS AND FERTILIZERS 



Importance of Soil Condition or Fitness 



Thef most importaat soil fact — ^first, 

 last and always — is oondition, or fit- 

 ness. 



The best wheat soil in the world 

 seeded with the finest wheat obtain- 

 able, will grow but an .indifferent crop 

 if the soil is not "fit" 



The wise farmer recognizes this 

 "condition" or "fitness" when, the soil 

 has an elastic feel to the foot, is swo^ 

 len Like well raised dough, and is of a 

 darker color than the natural soil. 



These outward and easily recognized 

 signs mean that the soil is mellow, 

 penetrated to its innermost recesses 

 with air; that the natural manures 

 have been intimately mixed with the 

 earthy particles and the weeds des- 

 troyed. 



To secure "fit" in soil, deep working 

 with harrow and roller, etc., at the 

 time when the soil is neither dry nor 

 wet is essential; rotating crops to se- 

 cure a change, and to get intensive 

 workiag of the soil; dressings of long 

 fresh straw manure on heavy soils and 

 of well rotted manure on light soils; 

 dressings of lime to correct both heavy 

 and light soils. 



Objects of Tillage. 



To destroy and prevent growth of 

 weeds. 



To place under surface, manure 

 stubble and other organic matter to be 

 converted into food for plants. 



To develop various degrees of 

 openness of texture and uniformity of 

 soil conditions suitable to planting. 



To modify movement of soil mois- 

 ture and soil air. 



To regulate the temperature of the 

 soil. 



Tips on Tillage. 



If you will open a book, place the 

 fingers upon the fly leaf in front and 

 the thumbs under the fly leaf in the 

 back, and abruptly bend up the cor- 

 ner, it will be seen that every leaf is 

 slipped over its neighbor. What takes 

 place is represented in the accompany- 

 ing illustration. Had pins been put 

 through the book before attempting to 

 bend the leaves, the bending would 

 have tended to cut the pins into as 

 many pieces as there were leav^ as 

 in figure. 



The plow has exactly this effect 



upon the furrow slice; it tends to 

 divide it into thin layers which slide 

 over one another just as the leaves 



Showing the principle of pulverizing 

 action of plow. 



of the book did, and it is because of 

 this kind of action that a plow pul- 

 verizes a soil as no other tool can. 



How Plows Correct Tilth. 

 If a soil is out of tilth, has become 

 cloddy, or partly puddled, there is a 

 shape of mould-board, a stage of soil 

 moisture and a depth of furrow slice 

 which will help to restore tilth the 

 best and quickest. 



Work of Plow. 



The deep furrow pulverizes better 

 and puddles worse than the thin slice 

 or shallow furrow. A low mould- 

 board plow disturbs tilth the least and 

 leaves the texture the coarsest. The 

 steep mould-board gives the greatest 

 danger of puddling if the soil is too 

 wet, and the greatest opportunity to 

 pulverize the soil and improve the 

 tilth if the moisture is right. 



Forms of Plows, Etc 

 To cut a clean farrow, slice and 

 turn it over so as to completely cover 

 whatever is on the surface, a long, 

 low mould-board plow is used. (See 

 fig. A.) 



Type of Sod Plow Which Pulverizes 

 Little. 



If the primary objects are to thor- 

 oughly pulverize the soil, making it 

 deep and mellow, a plow like Fig. B 

 must be used. Shapes of plow inter- 

 mediate between these two can be 

 used according to the need. 



Type of Plow With Steep Mould-board. 

 A heavy and soggy soil calls for a 



