&!'<< -THE OLIVER PLOW BOOK 



of the importance of having the ground properly pre- 

 pared, and even in the New Testament, in the book of 

 St. Luke, the parable of the sower forcibly illustrates 

 that Christ was a keen observer of the laws of Nature 

 as related to crop growing. 



"A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he 

 sowed some fell by the way side; and it was trodden 

 down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 



And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was 

 sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked 

 moisture. 



And some fell among thorns; and the thorns 

 sprang up with it, and choked it. 



And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, 

 and bare fruit a hundredfold." 



This quality to observe conditions as they are is just 

 as fundamental to the business success of any man as 

 it is for his religious welfare. There is not such a 

 tremendous amount of difference. 



Evidently farmers in Christ's time believed that it 

 was necessary to kill the thorns and to conserve moisture, 

 and they believed still more that it was necessary to 

 have the ground "good." This word "good" involves 

 a great deal. Our modern soil phycisists tell us that we 

 plow to kill weeds, conserve moisture, and to put the 

 ground in a good condition of tilth. By tilth they 

 mean that the land is in shape to be cultivated easily 

 and in such condition as to bring forth abundantly. 



Before one can put ground in condition to meet plant 

 growth requirements he must have a thorough under- 

 standing of the habits and characteristics of plants he 

 desires to grow, the kind of food that plants require and 



