222 



THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



soil to hold moisture, to present the greatest feeding surface 

 to roots, to allow the circulation of air, and intensifies many 

 chemical activities. Tilling the soil is the first means of 

 making it productive. If one understands the many forces 

 that are set at work, the Tilling of the soil becomes one of 

 the most interesting and exciting of all agricultural opera- 

 tions. 



The exact method of Tilling the soil in any particular 

 case must be determined by many circumstances. Light 

 soils are handled differently from heavy soils; and much de- 

 pends also upon the season of the year in which the Tillage 

 is done. In all ordinary soils, the effort should be made to 

 work them deep, so that there is a deep reservoir for the 

 storage of moisture and a large area in which roots can 

 work. Subsequent Tillage throughout the growing season 

 is performed very largely for the purpose of keeping the top 

 of the soil loose and fine so that the moisture from beneath 

 cannot pass off into the atmosphere. This loose layer of 

 soil, extending two or three inches from the surface, may 

 itself be very dry ; but it breaks up the capillary connection 

 between the lower soil and the air, and thereby prevents 

 This surf ace layer of loose, mellow soil is often 

 spoken of as the earth-mulch. It answers 

 much the same purpose as a mulch of 

 straw or leaves in interposing a material 

 between the moist soil and the air through 

 which the moisture cannot rise. If this 

 mulch is repaired as often as it should be, 

 weeds cannot grow; but the object of the 

 Tilling is more to make and maintain the 

 mulch than to destroy weeds. The surface 

 should be Tilled shallow in the growing sea- 

 son as often as it tends to become compact 

 This will be after every rain, and usually as 



evaporation. 



For hand Tilling 



or encrusted 



often as once in ten days when there is no rain. The tools 

 to be used for this surface Tillage are those which will com- 



