HOW TO OBTAIN A LARGE YIELD. 15 



Most of the advantages of sub-soil plowing and deep 

 cultivation will be lost or not realized, and even injury be 

 done, if the land be not also well under-drained to a con- 

 siderable depth two feet at least because the deep 

 plowing makes a basin of the land so plowed, where sur- 

 plus water will settle and remain stagnant, unless there 

 are sufficient drains at a lower depth than the plowing, 

 to freely carry off all excess of water. But the drainage 

 being ample, the land cannot well be broken too deeply 

 for best results in wheat-gr.owing. 'Let the sub-soil plow- 

 ing be done so as not to bring much of the raw, stiff 

 under-earth to the top at first, and the next year it will 

 be first-rate soil for grain. 



THIED PULVERIZATION" OF THE SOIL. 



Perfect pulverization, by fine plowing, harrowing, and 

 rolling, is highly important, and will be productive of 

 beneficial results, in giving large yields, and will preserve 

 the fertility and strength of the land, by preparing the soil 

 and putting it in that comminuted form in which the 

 rootlets can absorb and appropriate a greater portion of 

 the nutriment than when it is in a lumpy condition. In 

 fact, the constituents of the soil cannot be brought into 

 that state of solution in which they must be before plants 

 can appropriate them, until the soil is made very fine. ^Ho 

 part of the earth, no matter how rich it may be, is avail- 

 able for plant use, until it is very finely pulverized. 

 Hence, much crushing, stirring, and culture is necessary. 



FOURTH ALKALI AND SOLUBLE SILICA. 



There must be a liberal quantity of alkali and soluble 

 silica in the soil, in order to enable it to produce a heavy 

 crop of healthy wheat. Alkaline matters, such as potash 

 and lime, must be in the soil, to operate with the air and 

 moisture in dissolving all the required elements or ingre- 



