32 



GARDEN TILLAGE. 



Snyder has shown that our average wheat-producing- soils 

 contain enough nitrogen to raise one hundred and twenty-five 

 successive crops of wheat. But only a very little of this 

 material is ever at one time in a condition in which the plant 

 can take it up; nearly all of it is insoluble. By chemical 

 action and fermentation in the sell plant, food is set free. 

 This is increased and made more complete by admitting- air 

 into the soil. Hence the reason for deep plowing in the fall, 

 which allows the air and water to enter and thus develop plant 

 food. This, also, is an important fact to be kept in mind in 

 cultivating land. Where the soil can be kept moist through 

 the summer, deep spring plowing is an advantage, as it opens 

 the soil to the air : but on account of the^liability to drought 

 the practice is a poor one for this -section. 



'2** \> 



.'•i*- -;- •**«:,. fewr'- 1 \<*F '-,'£?>:■:* * *•»*»■. :♦- -,♦.-- V, 



Figure 6.— Planet Jr. fine tootn cultivator. 

 GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 



Implements, such as plows, harrows, etc, used for prepar- 

 ing the land for ordinary farm crops are also used in fitting 

 the land for garden crops. In addition, however, there are a 

 number of tools and implements which are not commonly 

 used in growing the farm crops. These may be roughly 

 classed as follows : 



