TILLAGE 13 



soil to destroy weeds and preserve a dust-mulch upon 

 the surface is demanded. The grower cannot afford to 

 allow weeds to usurp food and moisture which belong 

 to the plants ; neither can he afford to allow the mois- 

 ture to evaporate from the soil by neglecting to mulch 

 it with dust. As in every horticultural operation, the 

 better the tillage the better the growth. 



Each succeeding spring tillage should begin early, 

 using any implement which will loosen the soil thor- 

 oughly and leave the ground level. The soil immedi- 

 ately about the plants should be loosened with a hoe or 

 rake so that the whole surface may be mellow and in 

 good tilth. If done early this is not a serious task, 

 but if neglected until the ground becomes hard and the 

 weeds have started it is difficult and expensive. A 

 shovel or spade can sometimes be used with advantage 

 in first turning the soil. Some growers plow between 

 the rows in spring, but this is undesirable, since it may 

 injure many of the roots and leave the land in ridges. 

 Plowing is especially undesirable among currants and 

 gooseberries. 



Most writers recommend that tillage should cease 

 by July or August to permit the plants to ripen their 

 wood before winter. Other men of wide experience, 

 whose opinions carry much weight, believe that tillage 

 should continue throughout the entire season. It is a 

 point still open to discussion and one upon which more 

 light is needed. Much depends upon the locality and 

 the season. In semi-arid climates, like that of the 

 Plains, there is little danger of inducing too great fall 

 growth by continuous tillage. There is more danger 



