34 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



used and what should be the order of their use to secure 

 the best medium for sowing or transplanting? The fol- 

 lowing program should prove satisfactory : ( I ) Dragging 

 with the furrows; (2) disking with the furrows; (3) 

 disking across the furrows; (4) dragging across the disk 

 marks; (5) disking again if necessary; (6) harrowing 

 with the Meeker smoothing harrow until the soil is thor- 

 oughly pulverized and the surface even and smooth. 



71. Cultivation. All but one of the purposes of tillage 

 are accomplished by cultivation. The efficiency of culti- 

 vation for any particular crop depends upon (i) the char- 

 acter of the tool used, (2) when it is used, (3) how skill- 

 fully it is used. 



There are two general classes of cultivators, viz., horse- 

 cultivators (Figure 2) and hand cultivators (Figure 3). 

 Horse-cultivators may be provided with shovels, teeth, 

 or rake attachments ; they may be for one or more rows 

 and operated when riding or walking. In working field 

 garden crops, such as sweet corn, tomatoes and cabbage, 

 two-horse riding cultivators are employed extensively, 

 but with most crops planted far enough apart to permit 

 of horse-tillage, the single horse cultivators are in gen- 

 eral use. Spike-tooth and narrow shovels are the best 

 conservers of soil moisture and leave the soil in the best 

 physical condition, while the broader shovels are effective 

 in destroying large weeds and in breaking up compacted 

 soils. Hillers and shovels of various shapes may be pur- 

 chased with most horse cultivators and attached when-' 

 ever it will be advantageous. 



Hand wheel cultivators are made in various styles 

 (Figure 3). They should have rather high wheels with 

 broad tires. Some wheel hoes are made to straddle the 

 rows, others to go between them. Double wheel hoes 

 are most serviceable and economical in smooth, level soil 

 that is easily cultivated ; the single wheel hoe is adapted 

 to conditions not so favorable to tillage. Teeth, rakes, 



