36 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICl?LTUEAL SOCIETY. 



cess with which he has carried his cornfields through a drouth, 

 when those of his neighbors have withered, b3' simply keeping the 

 surface of the soil mellow with repeated cultivation. The surface 

 was thus kept in a condition perfectly fitted to absorb the falling 

 rain, whether it came in a shower or a storm, and after each fall of 

 rain, as soon as the surface became dried, it was again pulverized 

 bv the rake or cultivator, and thus brought into precisely the fa- 

 vorable condition before described. 



Surface irrigation has not succeeded with the grape for the same 

 reason that mulching cannot permanently, because the tender roots 

 are drawn too much toward the surface, and are thereby in peril of 

 injur}' from atmospheric changes. 



Cultivation, on the other hand, suppresses weeds, obviates the 

 tendency of the fibrous roots to come too near to the surface, keeps 

 the plane of the moist earth covered alwa3'8 with a non-conducting 

 mixture of dry soil and air, and thus facilitates the free admission 

 of the atmosphere to carr}' on those combinations with and among 

 the elements of the soil which are so essential to perfect success. 



The best kept and most fruitful vineyards which I have ever seen 

 were those in which the best tilth was manifest. 



This was notably apparent at the visit of the Committee on Gar- 

 dens to the vineyard of our honored President last September. 

 The whole surface of the ground was as light and smooth as the 

 liberal allowance of gravel stones would permit ; not a weed was to 

 be seen an^'where, but every indication of the master's belief that 

 cultivation means stirring the surface of the soil thoroughly and 

 often. 



High tilth is b}' many regarded as a sort of a substitute for irri- 

 gation, and has proved successful where ordinary- care and cultiva- 

 tion have failed. 



Let me not be understood to say that there are not times when 

 a mulching around newly planted trees, or with some small fruits, 

 may be found of temporary benefit and therefore satisfactory' ; but 

 it does seem to me, from an observation of the experience of 

 many men in many places, during many years, as well as from 

 thorough personal experiment under a great variety of conditions 

 of heat and rainfall, that mulching is but an indifferent substitute 

 for tilling the soil, and that an industrious man, with the rake or 

 cultivator, will obtain vastl}' more satisfactor}' results by their dili- 

 gent use than the disciple of mulching will with his mulch. 



