THE BENEFITS OF TILLAGE 103 



robbing them of water. They do use some 

 plant food, but the loss is not as great. These 

 weeds must be killed, even if one has to 

 use the cultivator twice as often as would 

 be necessary otherwise. On the other hand 

 there may come a dry August during which 

 few weeds start, but it is very essential that the 

 cultivator be run over the ground once or twice 

 a week -so as to keep a layer of loose dry soil be- 

 tween the precious soil moisture and the air which 

 is hungry to suck it up. I have a little garden back 

 of my nouse. During a rainy spring if I worked it 

 enough to keep down all weeds it would be about 

 three times a week, which is about three times 

 oftener than it would be necessary to cultivate 

 were soil moisture and plant food the chief con- 

 cern. The question as to whether weeds or the 

 saving of water, should be the guide to the fre- 

 quency of tillage depends upon the locality and 

 the season ; it is as often one as the other. 



Weeds a Spur to the Sluggard. Weeds, are how- 

 ever, a mentor that we but half appreciate. It is 

 easy to advise "Till as often as is necessary to keep 

 soil water from escaping," but the escape of soil 

 water is a very intangible thing, likewise the setting 

 free of plant food, a benefit of tillage that will be 

 mentioned shortly. We cannot see either of them, 

 and most of us are apt to be careless about the 

 things we cannot see. But weeds are very much 

 in evidence. If the average man sees a dozen lusty 

 pigweeds waving triumphantly above his early 

 potatoes he will be mucn more likely to cultivate 

 and hoe his garden than if he happens to notice 

 that there is a thin, moisture-losing crust on the 

 surface of the soil. Every good farmer has a big 

 bump of pride which begins to thump impatiently 



