TILLAGE 



when they are starting, but after the weeds are 

 well-rooted, the weeder acts only as a cultivator 

 for the plants that should be destroyed. Modern 

 cultivators have fine teeth that let the surface 

 remain nearly level, and they do their best work 

 when the weeds are small. The use of " sweeps " 

 should be more general. The blades are so placed 

 that they slip under the surface, letting the soil 

 fall back so that a mulch is formed. 



Length of Cultivation. Most tilled crops grow 

 rapidly until they shade and mulch the soil. 

 Tillage should continue, if possible, until this 

 occurs. The exception is in the case of orchard 

 trees and other plants that should not have their 

 period of growth extended late in the fall. Good 

 tillage tends to increase the lateness of a crop by 

 encouraging growth. The new wood of trees may 

 not become hardy enough to withstand the frost 

 of winter if tillage is continued. Early maturity 

 is hastened by exhaustion of soil moisture and 

 plant-food. 



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