12t- STATU POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



no better way than by breaking the capillary pores near the sur- 

 face by frequent, shallow cultivation ; in other words, by provid- 

 ing a blanket of fine, dry earth. The blanket of fine earth will 

 serve the same purpose in holding the moisture back, as will the 

 board, or stone wall already referred to. Now if we are growing 

 corn, or potatoes, or any other hoed crop, we wish this particular 

 crop to serve as the medium for taking up the food and moisture 

 stored in the soil. The presence of weeds in a given area is 

 pernicious, not so much because of the crowding of the plants 

 that we are growing, although this is a serious drawback, as it 

 is an indication that the blanket of earth referred to is lacking 

 and, consequently, that the moisture which we should conserve 

 is being carried to the surface by capillary attraction and dissi- 

 pated in the atmosphere. 



The value of tillage in aiding chemical processes is recognized 

 by all. By warming the soil and admitting oxygen, the decom- 

 position of organic matter is hastened, plant food is set free, 

 and nitrification is promoted. The simple statement of these 

 facts is, perhaps, sufficient at this time. 



Now that we have come to understand why the stirring of 

 the soil makes plants thrive, the feeling of drudgery in tilling 

 the land is lost, and the operation becomes one of the most 

 important and suggestive of all farming operations. We rec- 

 ognize the fact that we must till for tillage's sake ; that the pur- 

 pose of tillage is not simply to kill weeds, but is rather to con- 

 serve moisture, pulverize the soil, and destroy the conditions 

 favorable to the presence of insects and other enemies. 



In the management of orchard lands it is not so much a 

 question how the tillage shall be performed, as that it be given. 

 Many of our best orchard lands are so situated that ordinary 

 tillage by means of the plow and harrow are utterly impractica- 

 ble. In such cases the use of hogs is to be highly commended. 

 I am aware, in touching upon this subject, that I am treading 

 upon dangerous ground, but from practical observation, I am 

 convinced that the hog may often be used with excellent results 

 upon orchards which have reached a bearing age. The practice 

 in this case would be to use shoats rather than hogs a year or 

 more old. If six or eight hogs are put in an enclosure of about 

 an acre, if not too highly fed, they will, during the season. 



