410 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



the mechanical drill is the man-power wheel hoe, with its diversity of tools 

 adapted for all sorts of soil stirring. Such implements are found useful, 

 even though the rows be no more than forty feet long. In larger gardens, 

 horse implements should be used as far as possible. In either case, it will be 

 necessary to employ hand tools for maintaining the mulch between plants 

 in the row. There is available a wider variety of tools and implements for 

 cultivation than for any other type of garden work. These must be 

 selected in accordance with the character of the soil, the crops, and the indi- 



Wheel Cultivator and Attachments. 1 



vidual fancy of the gardener himself. There are a number of crops which 

 spread over the ground comparatively early in the season and prevent 

 cultivation from that time on. An increasing number of gardeners are 

 securing the same results by means of a mulch of fresh, strawy manure, 

 distributed between the rows. This conserves moisture and prevents 

 weed growth as effectively as cultivation. 



Irrigation. — In spite of all these precautions, gardens often suffer 

 from lack of water. It is not always possible to irrigate the rural garden, 



1 Courtesy of New York State College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y. From Cornell Reading Courses, 

 Vol. II. 



