CULTIVATION TO CONSERVE MOISTUBE 



161 



way is to list the land in the fall — and in the spring, the corn is 

 planted in the fuirows made by opening the previously made 

 ridges or beds. The opening of the ridges is done by a Uster or 

 middle-buster. The middle breaking and planting are commonly 

 done at the same time by the combination lister and planter. 

 Frequently corn is planted with such a combination machine with- 

 out any previous preparation of the land. Especially is this true 

 when corn follows corn or cotton. 



Cotton is commonly planted in furrows in a similar manner 

 as listed corn. 



Fig. 105 — ^Broadcast seeder and cultivator. 



CULTIVATION AKD INTERTTLLAGE 



Cultivation, in its broad sense, means the act of tilling — but it 

 is commonly understood to mean tillage done by cultivators. 

 There are some tools designed to cultivate the land before planting, 

 others that cultivate to cover the seed sown by them, and still 

 others are designed for alfalfa fields (Fig. 105). The ordinary 

 cultivators, however, are used for intertillage. 



Why Crops Are Cultivated. — ^The objects of intertillage are 

 commonly given as: (1) to kill weeds; (2) to conserve moisture, 

 and (3) to aerate the soil. 



In humid farming it is generally recognized that the kilHng 

 of weeds is the primary importance of cultivation. This is espe- 

 cially true on soils in good tilth, and when frequent rains occur 

 (Chapter VIII). 



Cultivation to conserve moisture is good practice in all dry-land 

 farming, and in sand management. On silt loams in humid 

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