fiillside Cultivation. ry7 
found at whatever depth the teeth uniformly reach. The remedy 
is to plow in winter just below this hard-pan layer and thus break 
it up, and then by the action of the air and rains it is reduced, 
and cultivation may proceed as before. Where the hard-pan is 
formed by the plow, the ground should be plowed shallow one 
year and deeply the next, thus alternating from year to year. 
Green Manuring.—Another advantage in the use of the 
plow is, as has already been mentioned, the turning under of the 
growth of weeds, grass, and clover as a green manure. Many 
growers attach considerable importance to this, and some, who 
have orchards in which winter growth has been killed out by 
long cultivation, are seeking for a quickly-growing crop which 
they can sow with the first rains and secure growth enough to 
turn under with the winter plowing. This consideration may 
be farther presented in the chapter on fertilization. 
Plowing Hillside to Prevent Washing.—Where the slope of 
the land is sharp, there is much danger from washing during the 
rainy season, if the hillside is not terraced or furnished with 
ditches carefully laid out on contour lines to carry the water 
down on a gentle grade. The old plan of plowing furrows one 
above another around the hill to check the flow and let the water 
down easily, is often found treacherous unless one is able to 
strike good grades, because of the liability to collection of water 
at certain points and the subsequent breaking away and wash- 
ing. Recently some of the foot-hill growers have adopted the 
plan of plowing furrows seven or eight feet apart straight down 
the hill in the direction of its deepest descent. The rainfall is 
thus distributed over the ground so that not much water is col- 
lected in any one place and the harm done by washing will not 
amount to much. Hillside work differs according to char- 
acter of soil and of local rainfall and conference with experienced 
men in the region will usually afford the beginner the best sug- 
gestions of method. In some localities, the plowing of a few 
furrows at intervals to assist in penetration and the growth of a 
cover crop during the winter to assist in binding the soil, will 
be found better than any attempt at the early plowing, which may 
work admirably on level lands. 
The Best Plow—For piowing orchards and vineyards many 
kinds of plows are used, including the ordinary one and two- 
horse walking plows, single and double sulky or riding plows, 
and gang plows of different kinds. In several of the leading 
fruit districts there are plows made in the local shops which are 
patterned to meet the different soils prevailing. Which is the 
best plow is a question which can not be answered, it must be 
determined by local conditions, and the best wav to get informa- 
tion is to consult the experienced cultivators of the locality. 
