THE FIRST BOOK OF FARMING 



HOEING, RAKING, HARROWING, AND CULTIVATING 



These operations when properly and thoroughly 

 done tend to supplement the work of the plow in 

 fitting the soil to absorb rain and in making a mulch 

 to check loss by surface evaporation. The entire 

 surface should be worked and the soil should be 

 left smooth and not in ridges. Rolling cutters and 

 spring-toothed harrows are apt to leave ridges and 

 should have an attachment for smoothing the sur- 

 face or be followed by a smoothing harrow. Cul- 

 tivators used to make mulches to save water should 

 have many narrow teeth rather than few broad ones. 

 If a large broad-toothed tool is used to destroy 

 grass and large weeds it should be followed by a 

 smoother to level the ridges and thus lessen the 

 evaporating surface. The soil should be cultivated 

 as soon after a rain as it can be safely worked. 



Rolling compacts the soil and starts a quicker 

 capillary movement of water toward the surface 

 and a consequent loss by evaporation. When cir- 

 cumstances will permit, the roller should be fol- 

 lowed by a light harrow to restore the mulch. 



Ridging the land tends to lessen the amount of 

 moisture in the soil because it increases the evap- 

 orating surface. It should be practiced only on wet 

 land or in early spring to secure greater heat. 



Drains placed in wet land remove free water to a 

 lower depth and increase the depth of soil occupied 

 by capillary water and therefore increase the body 

 of soil available to plant roots. 



