380 DRY-FARMING 
the name to his famous book, “The Horse Hoeing 
Husbandry,” by Jethro Tull, published in parts from 
1731 to 1741. Tull held that the soil between the 
rows was essentially being fallowed and that the 
next year the seed could be planted between the 
rows of the preceding year and in that way the fer- 
tility could be maintained almost indefinitely. If 
this method were not followed, half of the soil could 
lie fallow every other year and be subjected to con- 
tinuous cultivation. Weeds consume water and 
fertility and, therefore, fallowing and all the culture 
must be perfectly clean. To maintain fertility a 
rotation of crops should be practiced. Wheat should 
be the main grain crop; turnips the root crop; and 
alfalfa a very desirable crop. 
It may be observed that these teachings are sound 
and in harmony with the best knowledge of to-day 
and that they are the very practices which are now 
being advocated in all dry-farm sections. This is 
doubly curious because Tull lived in a humid country. 
However, it may be mentioned that his farm consisted 
of a very poor chalk soil, so that the conditions under 
which he labored were more nearly those of an arid 
country than could ordinarily be found in a country 
of abundant rainfall. While the practices of Jethro 
Tull were in themselves very good and in general 
can be adopted to-day, yet his interpretation of the 
principles involved was wrong. In view of the 
limited knowledge of his day, this was only to be 
