CHAPTER X 

 THE PREPARATION OF SOIL FOR PLANTING 



The first step in the preparation of land for the planting of 

 vegetables is a thorough breaking up of the soil to a depth of from 

 four to ten inches, depending upon the nature of the soil and the 

 crop to be planted. The principal means of breaking up the soil 

 is plowing, though it is often a decided advantage to disk (Fig. 39) 

 the land before plowing in order that there may be finely pulverized 

 soil at the bottom of the furrow. 



Advantages of Fall Plowing. — For the early spring plantings of 

 vegetable crops it is advisable to have the ground plowed the pre- 

 ceding fall. This facilitates early planting, for plowed ground dries 

 out earlier in spring than unplowed, and also no time is lost in 

 plowing after the soil has reached workable condition. It often 

 happens that early in the spring when the cool season crops should 

 be planted, the soil remains in ideal condition for working only 

 a brief period, and then becomes so thoroughly wet by copious 

 rains that further garden work is precluded for two or three weeks. 

 If the manuring and plowing have been done in the fall, it is often 

 possible to plant the early vegetables in the brief period during 

 which the soil is fit to work, while otherwise this entire period 

 might be expended in making preparations, and the actual planting 

 necessarily deferred until the next time the soil is dry. Since 

 the success of many of the early crops depends upon early planting, 

 the wisdom of fall preparation is apparent. 



If the land has been manured and plowed in the fall, and is 

 worked at the proper time in the spring, very little labor is neces- 

 sary in the preparation of a seed-bed for the early planting. Soil 

 containing sufficient humus to grow vegetable crops advantage- 

 ously can be fitted for planting without the use of hand tools, if 

 the precaution is taken to work it at the exact time it reaches the 

 right degree of dryness. It will then crumble readily, and a seed 

 bed can be prepared by the use of a disk, harrow and planker 

 (Figs. 39, 40 and 41). 



How to Determine when the Soil is in Workable Condition. — 

 To determine when the land has reached the right stage of dryness 

 70 



