84 



STATU POAIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



From the earliest times tillage has been regarded as a neces- 

 sity, to be disposed of as easily and quickly as possible. Seed 

 must be planted, weeds must be killed and crops must be har- 

 vested. To till the soil would seem to be the simplest and dull- 

 est thing in the world ; and if viewed only as labor, to be most 

 quickly and easily disposed of, this conception of tillage is a 

 natural one — the work must be done because in some way plants 

 thrive best when it is done. At the present time, however, men 

 are coming more and more to till for the sake of tillage ; to 

 recognize the fact that there is merit in the mere operation of 

 turniu": and stirring: the soil. 



Cultivated plot in 1899. Tallman in the foregrouncT. 



The first effect of tillage is to ameliorate and modify the soil 

 itself. Its secondary and most important eft'ects are directly con- 

 cerned with the plant. The soil is a vast storehouse of plant 

 food, and the first effort of the husbandman should be to make 

 this store available to plants, rather than to add to the already 

 large amount of material locked up. This is just what tillage 

 does. By stirring the soil, food materials are set free, chemical 

 changes are promoted, and moisture is conserved. 



The physical condition of soil is nearly always of more 

 importance than mere richness in plant food. The chemical 



