Sub 'Soiling 



91 



Sub -soiling is a common practice in market- garden- 

 ing lands. It is nearly always advisable in lands which 

 are hard or have a high sub -soil, and also for the 

 long root-crops, which demand a deep soil in which to 

 perfect their growth. Sub -soiling is not a permanent 

 corrective of the land, for the soil very soon settles 

 back into its original and hard condition, and the op- 

 eration must be repeated. The fundamental corrective 

 for such soils is underdraining and incorporation of 

 humus. The growing of clover, which sends its roots 

 deep into the soil, is also a great aid. But even with 

 all these aids, sub -soiling may be very useful in certain 

 cases. The sub-soil plow does not turn a furrow; it 

 merely breaks the bottom of the original furrow. It is 

 drawn by a separate team and follows in the furrow 

 immediately behind the first plowman. 



2. The tillage of maintenance should occur at least 

 as frequently as once in ten days for the best market - 

 garden conditions. Surface- tillage enables the land to 

 drink in the water of rainfall. It also saves the water 

 in the soil by hindering evaporation: it maintains a 

 loose and dry layer which acts as a mulch to the 

 moister soil beneath. A board or a forkful of manure 

 placed on the earth keeps the soil moist because it 

 delays evaporation. A surface -mulch of dry earth 

 acts in much the same way. The depth of this mulch 

 must be determined by the character of the soil, kind 

 of crop, frequency of tillage, and character of tools; 

 but, as a rule, from three to four inches of loosely 

 stirred earth is sufficient. It also solves the whole 

 difficulty of weeds. All tillage of preparation — all 



