I808. THE CULTIVATOR. - 217 
Calved 1850.—Imported .August, 1854, from the Island of Jersey, by J. A. Taintor, for J. Howard McHenry. 
Culture of Growing Crops. 
The two great objects in the cultivation of growing 
crops, are 
1. The destruction of weeds, or the prevention of all 
growth but that of the crop itself. 
2. Keeping the soil in the most favorable condition 
for the support of plants. 
Weeds are hurtful in various ways. In their early 
growth they take little but water from the soil, but 
that may be needed by the growing crop. Soon they 
demand more precious elements, using up the stores of 
plant food the soil may contain. A thrifty weed takes 
as much nutriment as a thrifty corn plant, and both 
cannot at the same time employ the same elements. 
When it is remembered that nothing grows without 
feeding, the importance of feeding nothing worthless 
will at once be seen. 
Weeds are injurious in crowding the crop, depriving 
it of needed exposure to the light and air. Imperfect 
growth is always the result of too great closeness of 
the plants, whether caused by weeds or the crop it¬ 
self. The plants shoot up slender and weak in their 
struggle for light and air, and the product cannot be 
what it would under more favorable circumstances. 
. It i s important, therefore, to prevent the growth of 
weeds, as far as may be, by hindering their germina¬ 
tion or destroying them as soon as they appear. In 
the cultute of all “hoed crops ” it is not necessary to 
wait for weeds to get up above ground before commenc¬ 
ing the war against them. At first they have but a 
single root, which can be broken very easily, and to 
the death of the plant. It is not much labor to hoe 
corn or roots thus early, but neglect it, and it will re¬ 
quire ten times the digging, picking and pulling at a 
later day. 
The implements of culture—the plow, horse-hoe, 
harrow, and soon, will do much of this work. Straight 
rows, seasonable labor, and constant vigilance will 
make light work of what otherwise will seem an inter¬ 
minable piece of labor. After a few weeks the crop 
will so “ get the start ” of the weeds, as to hinder 
their growth, and then we may “layby” our soil- 
stirrers and weed cutters, and wait for the harvest 
without fear of more than one crop, and that the one 
we have planted or sown. 
2. That the soil be kept in the most favorable con¬ 
dition^ as to its mechanical relations, for the growth 
of plants is equally important. The soil, if not na¬ 
turally mellow, must be made so, that the roots may 
be able to penetrate the same—and that the nutriment 
it contains may be put, by air and moisture, in a state 
to be taken up by the roots, which are the mouths of 
plants. 
All heavy soils are benefitted in several ways by 
frequent cultivation. One has already been stated in 
the preceding paragraph. Another benefit is the 
breaking up of the crust which forms as the soil dries 
after rains, preventing the ascent of moisture from 
beneath, or its absorption from the atmosphere. A 
deep and mellow soil will bear far more rain without 
injury than a shallow and hard one. It will also much 
better withstand the effects of dry weather, and it is 
often proved that culture goes as far as manure in per¬ 
fecting the crop. 
This cultivation, as in the case of destroying weeds, 
should be most frequent and thorough while the crop 
is in its first stages. As its growth advances, the roots 
of the plants extend and will be injured by any very 
extensive stirring of the soil. Nor will it be as need¬ 
ful as at first, from the fact that the permeating roots 
tend to keep the soil mellow, as also does the shade of 
