146 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 
tions of the country, especially in the southern 
states, the great bane to agriculture is the surface 
washing of the soil. Owing to shallow plowing 
and shallow cultivation, the water is unable to set- 
tle into the hard soil with sufficient rapidity, and 
is carried along the surface, producing those gullies 
which are there so destructive to farm lands. 
The improvements in the plow have done much 
towards remedying these defects, but there is still 
much ignorance as to the proper use of this imple- 
ment. As an ‘implement to be used in the prepa- 
ration of the soil for the reception of moisture, it 
stands pre-eminent. Good plowing does not con- 
sist—as ordinarily supposed—in merely inverting a 
portion of the earth, but in pulverizing and fining 
it and burying the sod or refuse which may be 
on the surface. The amount of water which a 
soil is capable of holding depends directly upon 
the fineness of its particles. Then that plow which 
will break and pulverize the soil most thoroughly 
is the one best adapted to fit the soil for holding 
moisture. This point is well illustrated by King in 
NoTe.—Figs. 13 and 14 (pages 147 and 148) are designed to illustrate some 
of the leading types of tools which are used for tilling fruit-lands. It is not 
the purpose to recommend these particular tools over any others, or, in fact, to 
recommend them at all; but simply to show the reader the range of forms 
which are in common use. 
Fig. 13. No.1, An ideal plow (from Roberts’ “The Fertility of the Land”); 
2,Syracuse vineyard and garden plow; 3, Syracuse swivel plow; 4, Mapes sub- 
soil plow; 5, Deere subsoil plow; 6, 8, Spike-tooth cultivators ; 7, Gang-plow: 
9, Spring-tooth cultivator, with side guards; 10, Pearce’s orchard gang- 
plow; 11, Sherwood harness. 
Fig. 14. No.1, Dise harrow; 2, Spike-tooth harrow; 8, Acme harrow; 4, 
Spring-tooth harrow, with side frames ; 5, Sulky cultivator; 6, Spring-tooth 
harrow; 7, Springfield grape-hoe; 8, Morgan grape-hoe (handle a is a rudder). 
