CHAPTER VIII 



PUTTING THE SOIL IN CONDITION FOB CAEBYING ON 

 THE BUSINESS OF FABMING 



HAVING made the necessary preparation for 

 carrying on the business of farming, and 

 possessing the necessary equipment for the busi- 

 ness, the next step is the putting of the soil in 

 condition for the breaking plow. This means that 

 the soil must be cleared and drained. In the tim- 

 ber belt the great majority of our soils have al- 

 ready been cleared of their timber growth and are 

 under cultivation. The uncleared soils of Amer- 

 ica suitable for cultivation, while not of vast area, 

 present the perplexing problems of clearing, for 

 to remove from them the stumps and tree growth 

 means the expenditure of brawn and money. In 

 the Michigan and Wisconsin cut-over pine and 

 hardwood districts, we have the pine stumps that 

 never rot, which can only be successfully removed 

 by the power of the stump puller. And the hard- 

 wood stumps and second growth of timber must 

 mainly be removed by the same power, so the 

 cost of clearing each acre of said lands for the 

 plow is often as much as $50. 



It would be equally expensive to clear hard- 

 wood lands if the stumps were not generally al- 

 lowed to rot out. In many sections of our coun- 

 try the soils are covered with the glacial drift of 



ill 



