No. 4.] FKUIT CULTUEE. 127 



tional all-steel harrow, with lever, so it can be adjusted to 

 use as a spike tooth or smoothing harrow. 



To complete the work, 1 use the planker. This I made 

 of two-inch white oak plank, ten inches wide and eight feet 

 long. Lap the planks two and one-half inches, and bolt with 

 one-half inch bolts at each end and in the middle. Use five or 

 six of the plank. Attach a bail wire or chain in two places on 

 the front, and draw diagonal enough to prevent clogging. 

 Either weight with stone or ride it. I prefer the planker 

 to the roller. The roller compresses the land just as it finds 

 it ; but this planker fills the holes, makes it level, presses 

 the stone into the soil and leaves a fine mulch on the sur- 

 face. You will see that I use the plough. I believe in 

 keeping the roots of all plants down in the ground, where 

 they will have moisture. One of the difiiculties in mulching 

 is that you bring the roots of the plants to the surface, and 

 if they are subjected to the action of drought they are 

 afiected very much sooner. 



For cultivation of my vmeyard I use the No. 5 vineyard 

 plough, with adjustable beam and handles. This is also 

 used in the spring between rows of blackberries, raspberries, 

 currants and other small bushes or trees. I have four kinds 

 of cultivators. The common five-tooth, with shovel teeth, 

 winged thistle teeth and the long-winged coverers, used in 

 hilling, is good for heavy work, where you need to break up 

 the soil. The next is the spring tooth, very serviceable 

 after ploughing between the berry and grape rows to level 

 and make the soil fine. It is a general-purpose cultivator, 

 but for cultivating between rows of newly set plants I use 

 the twelve-tooth Planet Junior and the fourteen-tooth Iron 

 Age. With these you can work very close to the plants 

 without covering them or disturbing their roots. After the 

 plants have rooted somewhat I use the Breed's Weeder to 

 break the crust over the entire surface. 



Though not absolutely essential, I find the Mackenny 

 fertilizer sower, made in this State, a very great aid in fer- 

 tilizing rows or drills. The Kemp manure spreader is a 

 valuable aid in broad-casting manure and in covering straw- 

 berry rows with a manure mulch for winter protection. 



