PLOWING THE SOIL. 
Plowing is an ancient art. The height of a land’s 
civilization is very nearly to be measured by the 
sort of plowing done there. What is plowing for? 
It turns under loose stubble, trash and vegetation, 
putting it down into the soil where it may decay and 
by its decay help set free mineral plant food. It 
loosens the earth to let air in and this promotes im- 
portant changes in the soil. It lets the water sink 
down into the soil, hence plowed lands are moister 
and will withstand drouth much longer than un- 
plowed lands. 
There are certain crops that seems to thrive on 
shallow plowed soils. Alfalfa, on the other hand, 
seems to thrive best where the land is plowed deep. 
In older lands than ours, where agriculture has 
advanced very far towards a perfect system, deep 
plowing is much practiced. In France some plow 
a foot deep and even deeper. On the Island of 
Guernsey men often plow a field twice, the first 
plowing shallow, the second one crossways and go- 
ing down as far as 16”. On such lands alfalfa 
thrives especially well. In France and Algeria men 
plow for alfalfa full 20” deep. 
Why Deep Plowing Suits Alfalfa—The reason 
why alfalfa likes the land plowed deep. is doubtless 
because the letting in of air and moisture favors 
the life of alfalfa-promoting bacteria. These 
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