Campbell's 1902 Soil Culture Maxu-\l. 



53 



ing, for the three all important conditions which we so frequently men- 

 tion. That of holding the greatest possible amount of moisture in the 

 soil, a condition to promote the most rapid movement of moisture by capil- 

 lary attraction from the sub-soil up into this finely pulverized portion. 

 Also a condition most favorable to the development of roots and root hairs 

 or feeders. Careful investigation of fields thus prepared after the stalks of 

 corn have reached a height of 3 or 4 feet will show almost a perfect net- 

 work of these little roots and feeders throughout the entire field. Scarcely 

 a spot half an inch square can be found that is not permeated by many of 

 these little hair roots seeking the moisture and plant food therefrom. 



With our moisture in ample quantities below, as stated, and this 

 perfect condition of soil and development of roots, the growth and devel- 

 opment of a magnificent crop of corn now depends entirely upon the time, 

 manner and kind of cultivation. It is not absolutely necessary that the 

 farmer should have a specially fine toothed cultivator. The Eagle Claw 

 Cultivator, that carries four shovels on each side of the row, is probably 

 the best in general use. Again we must repeat the importance of watching 

 closely the condition of the soil, that as much of the work as possible may 

 be done at the time, immediately after a rain when the soil is simply 

 moist and the soil grains seem to most readily separate one from the other, 

 as in this condition the most perfect and uniformly fine mulch may be pro- 

 duced. 



BROAD-GAUGED CULTIVATORS. 



From the fact that it is so extremely important to catch this ground 

 at just the proper condition, a condition that does not long exist after a 

 rain, it is apparent that cultivators on the broad-gauged plan must be pro- 

 duced by our manufacturers. A two or three row machine is very import- 

 ant, that we may cultivate two or three times as much ground in the same 

 length of time, and when the farmers come to understand the importance 

 of rapid work and the demand is made, such tools will be produced, for 

 Yankee ingenuity is prevalent in all of our big manufacturing establish- 

 ments. Returning to Cut No. 9, and the existing conditions as outlined, if 

 the corn is not too thick in the ground, we never have had a season that 

 a sufficient amount of moisture could not be held about these roots to pro- 

 duce, not only a fair crop, but a remarkably good crop. If the loose mulch 

 on top, to a depth of 23^ or 3 inches, is first produced when the conditions 

 are just right after a rain, and stirred just often enough during the long 

 dry periods, we can practically prevent any loss whatever by evaporation 

 from the sarface. This accomplished, the perfect physical condition of our 

 soil and complete development of roots will take the moisture from below 

 sufficiently fast to prevent practically any damage from extreme drouth, 

 and produce a most magnificent crop of corn. 



In Cut No. 10 we show a field of corn grown at Lisbon, N. D., on the 

 Soldiers' Home grounds, by Colonel Macllvane in 1897. This was one of 



