INTRODUCTION. V 



soil in every direction. At the same time the soil is 

 pressed firmly around the roots. This is an impor- 

 tant consideration, as they are so delicate that they 

 will immediately perish if exposed to the air, as is 

 frequently the case in heavy, poorly-prepared soils. 



Another important consideration is that a 

 greater variety of vegetables can be grown on light 

 soils than on clay, and they will also be of better 

 quality. There are but few plants that cannot be 

 successfully grown on light sandy soils, while there 

 are many that cannot be induced to perfect their 

 crops on heavy, wet, clay soil. 



On the other hand, a heavy soil has in it natu- 

 rally more of the elements essential to plant growth ; 

 it has more recuperative strength, or reproductive 

 qualities. With proper tillage and a systematic rota- 

 tion of crops, the heavy soil will require but very 

 little manure annually. While one plant takes from 

 the soil certain active principles, it returns to the soil 

 the elements that some other plant assimilates. Thus 

 it is shown that by judicious rotation our land be- 

 comes richer rather than poorer. W r e do not mean 

 to say that manure is not essential on heavy soils, 

 but we do mean to say that there are essentials not 

 to be found in the barnyard, nor in commercial fer- 

 tilizers. These are to be found in tillage. 



TILLAGE. 



I 



The most important factor in farm and garden 

 operations is the preparation of the soil. This should 

 commence when the ground is in the best possible 

 condition for working. If it is a heavy loam, or 

 clay, it should only be worked when it is sufficiently 



