1810 TILLAGE 



not merely a means bv which see.l^ can 1.e put into the 

 land, weeils killed, and the crop taken out. 



Tillage improves land in many ways. It divides and 

 pulverizes the soil, gives the roots a wider "pasturage," 

 as Tull puts it, increases the depth of the soil, and im- 

 proves its physical condition with respect to warmth 

 and dryness. . i, , , 



Tillage also saves moisture l.y deepening the arable 

 soil so that nnusture is held, and also by checking 

 evaporation from the .surface by means of a thin bl.anket 

 or mulch of pulverized earth th.at is made by surface- 

 working tools. Water is lost from the soil by under- 

 drainage and by evaporation from the surface. The 

 more finely the soil is pulverized, within certain limits, 

 the more water it will hold. Its capillary power is in- 

 creased. As the water ev.aporates from the surface, the 

 moisture is drawn up from the under surface so that 

 there is a more or less constant How into the atmos- 

 phere. If any foreign liody, as a board or a blanket, is 

 spread on tile land, the 'evaporation is checked. A 

 similar result follows when the soil is covered with a 

 layer of dry ashes or sand or sawdust. Very similar 



2515. Cryptanthus zonatus. commonly known as 

 Tillandsia zebrina (X 34). 



results are also secured when the surface is made fine 

 and loose by means of frequent shallow tillage. The 

 capillary connection between the surface soil and the 

 under soil is thereby Ijroken. This surface soil itself 

 may lie very dry, but it serves as a blanket or mulch to 

 the soil beneath and therelsy keeps the under soil moist. 

 In many instances this conservation of moisture by fre- 

 quent shallow tillage is the chief advantage of the til- 

 lage of the land during the growing season. 



Land that is well tilled has different chemical rela- 

 tions from that which is neglected. Nitrification, de- 

 composition ami other chemical activities are hastened. 

 The stores of plant-food are rendered available. The 

 soil is made more productive. 



The first requisite for the growing of the id.-int is to 

 have the soil in such condition that the plant can thrive 

 in it. It is only when the land is well tilled and pre- 

 pared, or when its i^hysical condition is nearly or (piite 

 perfect, that the addition of concentrated fertilizers may 

 be expected to produce the best results. The fertilizing 

 of the land, therefore, is a secondary matter; tillage is 

 primary. 



The ideal tillage of the land is th;it \\liicli is prai'- 

 tii;.ed by the gardener wlieu lo' grows plants in ])Ots. 

 The soil is ordiiiarilv sifted or riddled so that niineces- 



TILLANDSIA 



sary parts are removed, and mot of it is brouglit into 

 such condition that the plants can utilize it. The gar- 

 dener adds leaf-mold or sand or other material, until 

 the soil is brought into the proper physical condition. 

 He also provides drainage in the bottom of his pots or 

 boxes. Often the gardener will produce as much from 

 a handful of soil as a farmer will produce from a bushel. 



L. H. B. 

 TILLANDSIA (Ellas Tillands was professor of medi- 

 cine at the University of Abo, Sweden; In UiTS made a 

 catalogue of plants of the vicinity of Abo). Bromelictceoi. 

 Tillandsias are mostly epiphytes and all natives of 

 America. They are allied to billbergias, aschmeas, 

 gazmanias, pineapples, and the like. Jlany species are 

 described in horticultural literature as having been in- 

 troduced into cultivation, but most of these are known 

 only to amateurs and in collections where species of 

 botanical interest are chiefly grown. In the American 

 trade about 30 names occur, many of which are to bo 

 referred to other genera. The generic limits of Til- 

 landsia, as of most bromeliaceous genera, are ill defined. 

 By different authors a given species may be placed in 

 any one of a half dozen genera. Lately, Tillandsia and 

 Vriesia have been merged, but in this book Vriesia is 

 kept distinct, following Mez's monograph. It is useless 

 to attempit a description of all the Tillandsias that by 

 chance may occur in collections. Persons who want to 

 know the species other than those regularly in the trade 

 should consult Baker's " Handbook of the Bronieliacefe," 

 ,1889, or Mez's "Bromeliace^ " in DeCandolle's "Mono- 

 grapliije Phanerogamarum," 1896. The latter work, 

 which regards Vriesia as a separate genus, admits 248 

 species of Tillandsia. ISorae of these .species extend 

 northward into the United States, growing chiefly in 

 Florida, although one or two reach southern Georgia, 

 and the Spanish moss (which is Tillandsia usneoides) 

 reaches Virginia and is common throughout the South. 

 The native upright Tillandsias are not in the general 

 trade, but they arc offered by one dealer in southern 

 Florida; of such are T. recurcctfa, T. teiti(ifoli(tf T. 

 fasficulnta^ T. ufriculala. 



Tillandsias are usually kiiowm as "air-plants " to giir- 

 dencrs. They are perennial herbs, mostly of upright 

 growth (the common T. nsncoidcs being a marked e.^t- 

 ception), the bases of the narrow entire leaves often 

 dilated and forming cups that hold water and in which 

 utricularias and other water plants sometimes grow. 

 Tlie flowers are usually borne in spikes or heads, singly 

 beneath bracts; they are perfect, with 3 sepals and 

 3 petals which are twisted or rolled in the bud, 6 

 stamens, a superior ovary with filiform style: fr. a 

 3-valved capsule, containing hairy or plumose seeds. 

 Vriesia is distinguished by having one or two scales or 

 I i gules at the base of the petals on the inside, whereas 

 the petals of Tillandsia are eligulate; however, there 

 are intermediate forms and it is sometimes a matter of 

 individual opinion as to which genus shall receive a 

 given species. Some of the cultivated Tillandsias be- 

 long to still other genera. This is the case with T. 

 sehi-inii, whiidl is propierly Cruptanthns zonatus (Fig. 

 2315). This is an odd plant, producing crinkled deflexed 

 saw-edged leaves, which are whitish beneath and 

 brown-barred above, and small clusters of white flowers. 

 See p. 404, where other kinds of Cryptanthus in the 

 American trade are described. 



Tillandsias are grown both for foliage and for flowers. 

 The foliage is iisually scurfy and sometimes blotched, 

 ^lany of the species are very showy when in bloom, 

 sending up stron,g central clusters of blue, violet, red, 

 yellow or wdiite flowers. In nature, the seeds are 

 carried in the wind by means of the soft hairs, and find 

 lodgment on trees, where the plants grow. A few 

 species, however, grow on the ground. In cultivation, 

 most of the species are treated as pot-plants. The 

 growing season is summer. In winter the plants shoukl 

 be kept nearly dormant, although not coraplefely dry. 

 They need a warm temperature and plenty of lifrli' 

 while growing. Give a soil rich in peat. In some 

 cases sphagnum may be added to advantage. Prop, hy 

 suckers ; also hv seeds. For further cultural notes, con- 

 sult liillheniia.' Other bromeliaceous genera described 

 in this book are Bromelia, /"Rchniea, Karatas, Cryp- 

 tanthus, Ananas, Pitcairnia, Puva, Guzmania. 



