far the greater number do not know the 
proper time to plow. They start plowing 
when inclination moves them, whether 
right or wrong, wet or dry, they keep at it. 
That which should be made as certain as 
can be is left to chance. All hopes of suc¬ 
cess are founded in luck. If the plowing 
is done at the right time then the plow T man 
is lucky. When a mistake is made luck is 
an opposing force and there is no use of 
trying to overcome fate. Such are often 
the conclusions. A hit or miss theory may 
do where no better method can be had, but 
with plowing, guessing usually turns up the 
wrong side. There is a time to plow, and 
there is a time when it is much better to 
prophesy on the weather than to plow. 
Use your judgment first. After the work 
is done it is too late to do so. 
Plowing takes the first rank in time as 
well as importance in cultivating the soil. 
It begins the operations in making the 
ground ready for the seed, and there is 
nothing so valuable as a right start. Plow- 
ing ground when too w T et Skills” it for that 
season. One year's crop will be gone. 
Hard freezing will be the only chance for 
life in the future, and I have seen fields 
where effects of wet plowing remained for 
several years. When plowed too wet the 
ground hardens or bakes and the lumps are 
proof against pulverization. They have a 
kind of crystallized appearance, and the 
worst thing about it is that they retain that 
property. No chance is given by the 
hardened outside f#r the atmosphere to use 
its softening influence, and for this reason 
the tender seed germs have to 4 ‘rough” life 
from the start. Lumps destroy the power 
of the soil to retain dampness. Water cooks 
the hash for plant li fe, and without it veg¬ 
etation soon follows the road of a fish on 
land. 
Some people hold that if the dirt balls up 
when pressed in the hand that it is too wet. 
This is in most cases correct. Always so 
where the soil is clayey. But where the 
ground is of a sandy nature it may be wet 
enough to stick together, and still be in a 
proper condition for plowing. I don’t 
believe in rolling ground over when water¬ 
logged. It pays to let the water percolate 
to lower depths before beginning. Ground 
is better when plowed dry than wet, but 
neither of these extremes is the correct 
time. “Not too wet, and not too dry” is 
the rule. With gardeners early spring¬ 
time is precious. Time is money, and “The 
early bird catches the worm,” but don’t get 
in too great a rush. Take the plow to the 
field; draw a furrow. If the top of this is 
not shiney go ahead. But if the furrow 
does shine, to plow is to lose money. My 
experience has taught me this much at 
least. Try to plow at the right time. 
Profit depends on this. Timely, or un~ 
timely plowing will vary the yield all the 
way from a good crop to nothing. One 
mode gives success, the other failure. 
Which shall it be? 
Quincy , 111. 
The New Cardinal Tomato. 
This new Tomato is this season offered 
for the first time, and not having ourselves 
tested it we copy originator's description: 
In color it is of the most brilliant cardinal 
red, very glossy, looking when ripe almost 
as if varnished. It is as smooth as a ball. 
It is medium early and larger in size than 
Livingston’s Perfection. It excels in even¬ 
ness of ripening—so many Tomatoes in the 
same stage at the same time. It is uniform¬ 
ly of the same large size throughout the 
entire season, while Paragon, after the first 
fruits, decreases in size. It is very solid and 
of wonderful firmness. For shipping long 
distances it will prove a great acquisition 
to market gardeners, particularly in the 
South. It ie of vigorous growth, and yet 
comparatively compact inhabit. The Car- 
