TILLAGE. 
89 
TILLAGE. 
1. Why do men give so much labour to the 
digging and hoeing of the soil ? If we watch them 
at work, we see that they break up the surface of 
the land, which has become hard, and they turn up 
the soil that is hidden beneath, bringing it into 
the open air and sunlight. What good does their 
work do, and why will the crops grow the better 
for it ? 
There is more than one answer to this question, 
as you shall find. 
2 . You know that water and air can act on the 
soil, so as to form from it food fit for plants to take 
in. When we disturb its surface, or break up the 
clods, we let the air and water get freely into the 
soil; at the same time we loosen the earth, so that 
roots can easily search about it for food. By bury- 
ing the upper part, that has been acted upon by 
the air, we put it where roots will spread ; while we 
bring up the under-soil to take its turn at the 
surface, where it will be acted upon by the air and 
sun, and thus made better for the growth of plants. 
3. In this way we give the soil a good chance to 
have more of its substance made ready for the 
plants to feed upon; and the deeper the soil is 
tilled the better it is for the plants. This is why 
we often ‘ hole’ the land before planting. When 
the top of the soil becomes hard and crusty, the 
