AFTERCARE — FERTILIZERS 5 1 



consideration, it is seen that lack of moisture 

 at the proper time is very detrimental to 

 plant growth. 



What help can we expect from tillage to 

 overcome these conditions? As to adding 

 water to the soil by careful tillage, it has not 

 been demonstrated that it is possible to do 

 so. Tillage's main help is in retaining in the 

 soil water which falls as rain, holding it 

 there until the roots of the plant take it up. 

 Tillage cannot in any way reduce the amount 

 of water, which is lost by the process of tran- 

 spiration through the plant. It cannot be 

 expected that the largest crops will grow 

 without water, or that tillage alone can take 

 the place of water. With sufficient water 

 in the soil, it is possible, by good tillage, 

 to obtain the heaviest crops nevertheless. 

 If there is a deficiency of rain, nothing 

 short of irrigation will produce a large 

 crop. 



It has been mentioned that the straw- 

 berry is a very shallow feeder, and from this 

 it is very easy to see that in droughty springs 

 or summers, if the plants are not irrigated, 

 the resultant crop will suffer greatly. This 

 fact has been quite well brought out by ex- 



