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I 



following year. This ploughing is intended to hasten 



the decay of the vegetable matter remaining from 

 the preceding growth, which under the action of 

 the air and moisture is rapidly transformed and 

 becomes suitable to nourish the subsequent crop. 

 The roots being thus destroyed, immediately after 

 the harvest, decomposition has more time to become 

 complete and it is further favored and hastened by 

 the still high temperature of the season. During the 

 fall, when the straw, the roots and the plants are 

 destroyed, the land should be ploughed as deeply as 

 possible. This deep mellowing of the soil cannot be 

 too strongly recommended and for beets in particular 

 it seems to give the best results. The moisture after 

 penetrating this ploughed strata can not afterwards 

 evaporate as easily ; it is stored in the soil and forms 

 a reserve whose future action, in dry seasons is very 

 necessary for vegetation. In dry seasons the plant 

 will draw up by its roots from the sub-soil the 

 moisture not to be met with in the layers nearer 

 the surface. The bases of the arable coating thus 

 become a permanent reservoir of moisture ; at the 

 same time being a protection against changes of 

 temperature, for after rain it absorbs a much larger 

 quantity of water than the soil which had been only 

 superficially ploughed. Lastly, general experience 

 has shown that deep autumn ploughing is of the 

 greatest advantage to the growth of the beet and. its 

 influence is specially efficient during dry seasons. 



In countries where the soil has never been culti- 

 vated except to a very small depth, and in which 



