White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-05-25
for tbt farmer.
HOeinS Corn.

HocinS Corn.
The popular opinion ia. that hosing il
done merely to kill weeds. 1t will not be
difficult to show that faithful hoeing does
much more than this. even to rarn,inq,
snoistenisg. and nsanuring the soil while
hosing up the weeds.
The cir about us is always moist. The
hotter the day the moro moist it is. I,
has been sscertaiued that in bot day in
July. more than thirteen hundred gallon.
of water have been found to evaporats
from . single acre Of land. The soil has
. strong attraction for water. and it is q
part Of the duty OF the atmosphere to
penetrate the soil. and moisten it, .,
well as to give Us the breath of life. Bul
the soil, on its part. must be in suitable
condition to receive It. II the surface j,
compact the sir cannot readily enter il.
When the weeds are destroyed BY the hoe
tho surface is made loose. the air pene.
ustes it freely. and carries along the mois'
ture it contains. and thus sooters the field
1t follows. then. that field often hoed
whether there are weeds or not, will with.
stand Q droulh better than one that 10 mol
hoed. ~
The soil is as sctive % the air. for the
moment the cir enters. the soil robs it o.
its moisture and passes it along to The
roots Of the plants. Thus o carefully cul
tivsted Geld may he covered with lux
urisnt crops during drouth. while those
on the hard surface Of another may be
perishing for want Of moisture.
The air also contains other elements
besides moisture. One OF them is ammo,
mia. which is exceedingly valuable to
crops. and it is sifted from the stmos'
phers by the falling Of rain. When the
surface of the field is fine. showers readily
penetrate it. carry the ammonia down
into the soil, and thus manure it by every
rain that falls. The water passes along
the ammonia it contains touches min
erals that are in the soil, and dissolving
portions of them. supplies the roots and
plants with the food they need.
Were It not for the sgency OF ammonia
soils might abound in vslusbls mineral
which would remsin inactive; and tbs
crops upon them would fail to come t.
perfection. Thus. it seems clear. thai
keeping soils in q porous condition. re-
suits in an actual n,anuring Of them.
Water TINS admitted to the soil con
fains sensible amount OF heat, which j.
arrested by it, and kept there to warm
and stimulate the roots of plants.
Is it not clear. then, attentive reader,
that frequently stirring the soil does &C
tuslly destroy weeds. moisten the soil
warns the soil, and manure it? The the
DRY is rational and sustained by often.
repeated experiments. Every farmer
may satisfy himself, BY little care and
considerable observation. that the opera.
tion Of hoeing has an efficacy entirely be-
yond that of merely destroying the weeds.
We are not yet sufficiently system attic
and psins-takipg 10 our farm work. We
do not generally realize the fact. that
thorough tillsge is almost as good for the
crop IS Q light application of manure to
lands cultivated in . slovenly manner.
We must feel assured of the fact that
talage has the same effect as manure; that
the literal meaning Of the word manure
is hond-la5or. as well o. Of dressing.
To manure the land is to hoe. to stir the
soil. to, expose it to the atmosphere. to
pillow. to harrow. to cultivate. in addition
to oil We can get from the STALE, or in
any other way. az manure.
The ancient Romans made Sterculius
q god because be discovered that the drop.
pings of animals had the same effect upon
the soil as to hoe it!
Keep these facts in mind. and hos. hoe
HOE. until harvests are ready TO be gather.
ed. If weed is to be found among them.
~ E. Former.