DRY-FARMING 



the ground. This implement is very 

 useful in smoothing the surface and 

 crushing clods. Its action is somewhat 

 like that of a roller, but instead of press- 

 ing down vertically it slides along the 

 field shaving off the uneven places and 

 filling up the hollows. As a pulverizer 

 and clod crusher it is superior to the 

 roller, but its packing action is not as 

 great. The principle of packing com- 

 bined with the soil-mulch is seen when 

 the gardener presses down the soil 

 around his vegetables and covers them 

 then with loose soil, when the fruit- 

 grower stamps the earth around the roots 

 of the fruit tree but leaves it loose on top, 

 and when the florist presses his seed into 

 the soil, but scatters a little loose earth in 

 the pot. The special implement called 

 the sub-surface packer which has been 

 devised for this work is described in the 

 next chapter. 



134 



