FARM MANAGEMENT 21 



has always been found for them. Others, however, are beginning to 

 raise kale on their own account, so that more spinach is now being 

 raised on this farm. Prices have ranged from 40 to 60 cents a 

 bushel for kale and 60 to 80 cents a bushel for spinach. From 250 

 to 300 bushels an acre is considered a good crop. Besides being 

 raised for the market, kale is used as a general winter cover crop in 

 the garden. It is found that kale plowed under in the spring puts 

 the ground in fine condition for cantaloupes. A specialty has been 

 made of raising late tomatoes to be put on the market when this 

 fruit is scarce. Tomatoes are sold from this garden about the last 

 of October and in November. Most of the products are sold by tele- 

 phone to the merchants in the town and villages in the county. 

 (F. B. 452.) 



The Orchard. This is another feature of farm management. 

 The fruit grown must depend upon soil, climate and proximity to 

 market. 



Seed Bed. Having adopted a cropping system a most im- 

 portant feature of farm management is the preparation of the seed 

 bed. Prepare a deep and thoroughly pulverized seed bed, well 

 drained ; break in the fall to a depth of 8, 10 or 12 inches, according 

 to the soil, with implements that will not bring too much of the 

 subsoil to the surface. The foregoing depths should be reached 

 gradually if the field is broken with an ordinary turning plow. If 

 a disk plow is used, it is safe to break to the above depths at once. 

 \lt has been proved without question that the roots of plants pene- 

 trate the soil deeper and feed deeper in deeply plowed land. Thus, 

 in general, it may be stated that when the soil is plowed 3 inches deep 

 the plants have 3 inches of food, when plowed 6 inches deep they 

 have 6 inches of food, and when plowed 10 inches deep they have 10 

 inches of food. The fact that the bottom portions of the plowed land 

 are not as rich in available plant food as the top portions shows the 

 necessity of getting more air and heat down to them by deeper till- 

 age. The soil requirements most essential to the growth of plants 

 are heat and moisture. (Deep breaking insures air and heat at a 

 greater depth. For plants to do their best there must be in the soil 

 a constant supply of moisture, so that a film of water can envelope 

 the soil particles and absorb nutritive elements. The hair roots of 

 plants drink this for nourishment. If there is any more than enough 

 to serve as films for the soil particles and capillary water, there is too 

 much, and it should be drained off. This can be determined by 

 digging a hole 20 inches deep. If there is standing water in the 

 bottom of the hole, it indicates that there is too much water in the 

 soil or subsoil. The capacity of a given soil to hold film and capil- 

 lary moisture depends upon how finely it is pulverized and upon the 

 amount of humus in it. Unplowed lands retain but little water. 

 Thoroughly pulverized soil 3 inches deep can not store enough to 

 make a good crop. (Bu. Pit. Ind. B. 503.) 



Subsoiling. This operation is stirring the earth below the 

 region of the plow. For convenience reference is made to the first 

 eight inches of soil which may be turned over in plowing as the 



