TOOLS REQUIRED 



111 



crises of crop raising, and harvest, that come be- 

 l tween rains and during droughts, when a day's la- 



bor saved may determine the result of a year's 

 work. A scenic artist can not paint pictures with a 

 shoe brush, be his skill never so great, nor can a 

 farmer raise good crops with only a plow and har- 

 row. 



THE PLOW. 



The plow is the basis of tillage. It is a remark- 

 able wedge that moves underground in both hori- 

 zontal and vertical planes, and, for the draft, lifts 

 more dirt than any other implement. The disk is a 

 close competitor, but cannot be adapted to so many 

 conditions and varieties of soil as the mould board 

 plow. A good one does not invert the furrow slice ; 

 rather, it causes the dirt to fall on the edge of the 

 slice to crumble and fine in settling. As much vir- 

 gin soil should be plowed each year as one is willing 

 to pulverize and fine by subsequent tillage. There 

 is no virtue in turning great lumps from the sub- 

 soil unless reduced to a condition usable for plants; 

 otherwise they interfere with tillage, expose good 

 soil to rapid evaporation, and greatly impair the 

 value of the earth mulch. By all means plow fig 

 orchards once during the winter, as deep as the 

 soil and roots will allow, relying on surface tillage 

 afterwards. 



