NATURE AND ORIGIN OF TILTH 37 



take a general view of the subject, and consider all the 

 various circumstances which serve to bring about this 

 condition. 



For land to be in a high degree of fertility it is necessary 

 that the surface soil should exhibit a certain friable, crumbly 

 condition, allowing it to fall into powder on the application 

 of gentle tillage, when containing a medium amount of water. 

 The importance of this favourable texture of soil can hardly 

 be overrated. The success or failure of a crop often depends 

 on the character of the seed-bed at the time of sowing. Not 

 only is a good tilth very favourable to the extension of the 

 delicate roots of the seedling plant ; it is also most suitable 

 for ensuring the best conditions of moisture, temperature, 

 and chemical action in the surface soil during the lifetime 

 of the plant, and is thus of the highest importance to fertility. 

 On clay soils the production of a good tilth is especially 

 important; without this there can be no profitable arable 

 culture. The difficulties and delays in attaining this object 

 are the chief obstacle to the effective working of clay 

 land. 



Tilth is only partially or indirectly the result of tillage 

 operations. In the case of a stiff soil, tillage frequently does 

 nothing more than place the soil in a condition in which 

 the natural forces producing tilth shall exercise their greatest 

 influence. When tillage directly produces tilth, it is simply 

 due to the fact that the soil has already acquired the friable, 

 crumbly condition which is the essential point in the pro- 

 duction of tilth. It is important at starting to grasp this 

 fact. A heavy soil is not reduced to powder by mechanical 

 force brought to bear upon it by means of horses and imple- 

 ments; such a task would indeed be far beyond a farmer's 



