TILLAGE AND TILLAGE TOOLS 2Q 



is a proper time in vegetable gardening for every tillage 

 operation and fortunate is the man who not only knows 

 when to till but who usually does the work when most 

 advantageous. 



66. The value of tillage implements. The increased 

 price of land, labor and supplies makes it imperative for 

 the gardener to use labor-saving implements, with which 

 the work can usually be done better and cheaper than by 

 any hand method. In the purchase of tools and imple- 

 ments for vegetable gardening, the following factors 

 should be considered: (i) The efficiency of the tools and 

 the adaptation to the work to be done; (2) the rapidity 

 with which the work may be done; (3) the ease of opera- 

 tion to team and workmen; (4) durability; and (5) cost. 



67. Plowing. The walking mold-board plow is most 

 commonly used among vegetable gardeners. Sulky gang 

 and sulky disk plows are seldom used, but are becoming 

 more popular. 



Fall plowing is practiced extensively by vegetable 

 growers. It is considered especially desirable on the 

 heavier types of soils. The following advantages may be 

 enumerated: (i) If the land is hilly or rolling, rough un- 

 broken furrows will collect more water than when plow- 

 ing is deferred until spring, and if harrowing is done as 

 soon as possible, there will be a maximum supply of soil 

 moisture to meet the needs of spring crops; (2) the 

 physical composition of many soils is improved; (3) 

 vegetable matter plowed down in the fall becomes better 

 decayed and more valuable to the spring crop; (4) land 

 plowed in the fall may be harrowed and therefore planted 

 earlier in the spring; (5) some fall plowing often relieves 

 the pressure of the spring work, and makes possible the 

 starting of all crops earlier; (6) fall plowing exposes 

 many insect enemies to destroying agencies and thus 

 reduces ravages from this source. Fall plowing in the 

 North, where the land is sealed by frost during the win- 



