TILLAGE FOR MOISTURE. 83 



tilth and fertility ; and, third, it has a storage of moisture 

 from the previous season's rainfall. Such a piece of land 

 can be deeply plowed at the opening of the rainy season, 

 and can be at once planted with vegetables for winter use 

 which are hardy in the locality and will carry them along 

 well, even if there be very little rain during the late fall 

 months, with its content of stored moisture. Because of 

 its deeply stirred surface, freedom from hardpan from 

 previous cultivation, and moist subsoil, it is in its best 

 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 vege- 

 tables can be made until the frost-free period arrives and 

 the garden will go out into the spring and summer growth 

 of the whole list of hardy and tender plants witli ample 

 moisture to carry them to perfection during the dry sea- 

 son. 



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 as soon as the rains sufficiently 

 moisten the soil for deep plowing. 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 deter- 

 mination, as it is conditioned upon local rainfall. 



Even if for any reason it is not thought desirable to 

 plant vegetables in the open air until February, and this 

 is a practice in localities where fall and early winter tem- 

 peratures are rather low, still the early plowing is neces- 



