80 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



absorptive condition and by subsequent shallow working as each 

 vegetable is disposed of, rotation or succession can proceed on the 

 same ground and with the advancing winter and its added rainfall, 

 planting of less hardy vegetables can be made until the frost-free 

 period arrives and the garden will go out into the spring and sum- 

 mer growth of the whole list of hardy and tender plants with ample 

 moisture to carry them to perfection during the dry season. 



Early Beginning for Work the Same Season. But it is not 

 always possible to give the year of rest and cleaning and moisture- 

 saving, desirable as it is. In that case the plowing must be done 

 dry or the land deeply irrigated before plowing, or the plowing 

 deferred until the rains sufficiently moisten the soil for deep plow- 

 ing. This last method usually limits the practice of autumn garden- 

 ing and emphasizes the desirability of a water supply for irrigation. 

 Sub-soiling may also be done with advantage if the rainfall of the 

 region is generous; if not, there is too great danger that much of 

 the moisture may go out of reach of the shallow-rooting plant. 

 It is usually not as safe to plant as early on newly plowed land as 

 upon replowed summer fallow, for, unless the fall rains are above 

 the average, the plants may be less thrifty than those planted later 

 when full moisture is assured. This is of course a matter for local 

 determination as it is conditioned upon local rainfall. 



Even if for any reason it is not thought desirable to plant vege- 

 tables in the open air until February, and this is a practice in locali- 

 ties where fall and early winter temperatures are rather low, still 

 the early plowing is necessary to moisture-saving and cross-plowing 

 should follow in preparation for planting. 



Land designed for spring planting of tender vegetables should 

 also receive early and thorough fall plowing and a subsequent winter 

 plowing or spring plowing before the weed growth becomes too 

 heavy for turning under or so coarse that plowing under will make 

 a non-retentive soil still more prone to drying out the following 

 summer. 



TILLAGE TO CONSERVE MOISTURE. 



Tillage to receive moisture designs to open the soil and to 

 assist percolation with a view to prevent surface flow and to absorb 

 the rainfall. Tillage to save moisture aims to reduce evaporation 

 to a minimum. In a firm soil moisture rises by capillary attraction 

 and is rapidly removed from the surface by evaporation. A light 



