Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-05-28
.a.uaIaCultIEat9a CrOps.nom

oI cullVatlng crops, lei MN leave q lew
rows of potatoes or corn in a field to
grow up with weeds, or with the soil
hard and beaten with rains, or baked
with the sun, and notice the effect as
compared with the other rows that have
been worked with the cultivator and the
hoe. y Every farmer knows how, poor
will be the crop unless it is well cultiva-
ted, and every farmers boy knows it,
too, although he may not very well un-
derstand the reason for it. 1t matters
not what crop it may be; it may be corn
or potatoes, or it may be an apple tree
in the orchard, OF, onions in the garden.
A farmer who grow the largest crop of
potatoes ever known, and received q
large premium for it, said his success
was owing to the fact that he hoed his
crop every day. This may be true, be-
cause there s'no doubt that without this
constant stirring of the soil the manure
used would not have been fully pre-
pared for the complete nouIisbment of
the crop /; for the, effect Of thefrequent
cultivation of the soil is very varied. In
the first place, it enables the air to cir
culate IL, the soil next it enables moist
ure to penetrate to the roots; then it
helps to attract moisture in a dry sea-
son and also helps to retain itin the
soil lastly, it prevents the growth of
weeds. Let us consider how these effects
are produced. TAHaD
1t is well known that when earth is
moistened and spread and plastered and
packed down tightly the air will not
penetrate it. We have heard of mud
cabins, and many Of ashaNe. either lived
in log houses that have been chnked
with mud or we have known persons
who have lived in them, and these
houses are very warm and comfortable,
although poor and humble. They are
warm because the cold air is kept out,
but if the mud becomes cracked and
open and full of crevices, through which
the wind passes, all the warmth and
comfort is gone. 1t is precisely so with
the surface of the soil. When this is
beaten down and plastered and packed
by the effect of rain storms and wind,
the air can not pass through it. The
moisture.laden breezes blow over it
without adding agparticle to .allay its
drouth; the rains fall upon it and flow
away without sinking into it; the hot
sun dries and bakestit, and it is unable
to support the life of plant; because
where air goes moisture goes with it
the, all, is neyer-free from moisture, A
cubic foot Of AaT will. .dissolvelorSh hold in
suspensiom al cubic ineh Of ,wateS Nbut
the power of air to hold water varies
with its temperature. Very hot air will
hold the most water, and as the air
cools the moisture becomes condensed
and appears as mist, gathers in drops
on the leaves, grass, twigs of trees and
: the surface of the ground as dew, OF
falls in raht j Now, when the surface q
, the soil is loosened by cultivation and
becomes warmed by the sun, the air in
it is warmed and dissolves moisture
: from as far, below as the warmth
: reaches; then, when the soil is cooled
.. in the night, and the air shrinks in cool
: ing, air from without goes into the soil
| carrying morevapor with it. This vapol
! is condensed ard absorbed by the soil
and every warm summers might
millions of gallons of water may be thus
L carried into the soil on moderate-s izeC
$ farm, and the crop is refreshed.
But this constant circulation of all
!, has another effect. 1t meets with or
ganic matter in the soil and this is acteC
!! upon by the oxygen of the air and de
- composed. The air deprived of a par
5 OF its oxygen has then surplus of nitro
: gen, and we have reason. to believe tina
e in this oxidation or organic matter nj
e trogen is left free and forms nitrates il
= the soil, and these have a most useful eff
g feet uponNp plant growthI So the circula
g ton of air inithei soil has both these use
full effects. Then when a Shower fall
s upon the loose soil how fast it sinks int
y it and becomes absorbed. N5 This waite
!, forces out air and as it sinks and be
b comes absorbed fresh, air returns again
g so that the effect of the water is to hell
,; the air to exert its effectsa And whel
q this water has become Spread through
; the loose soil and the space is then re
i; occupied by air, the great heat of tn
sun does not penetrate so far, to dry GU
u this water, as 1t would if the soil wer
VI hard. = So that the loose soil acts to lie
e thewaterm, and TO keep itg there whe
q it has entered. Thus by cultivating tn
IS soil we keep it moist and make it fertile
We are manuring it in fact, for this til
81 lage, in effect, produces elements of fei
tility in the Soil that would not exis
3, there without it. Therefore, when W
e say tillage is manure we only state
s fact. Lastly we prevent weeds of cult
II Walton, ! IfvWei wsreyto give a horse
, feed Of oats, and d dozen or two Of rat
l. should come and help him to eat then
? as indeed some farmers permit them t
do, that horse would become poor an
IS thin. He would not thrive, because h
v had not enough food. 1t is precisel
the same with hill of corn or potatoes
lie If we hermit a ddzehlortwo oflweeds
y feed with it, it is robbed of portion {
"a its food and becomes poor and weak
Is And it is to avoid this that we CAREFUL
d cultivate these crops. Many farmer
L suppose this is all that they do by the
s work, but the other effects pointed OF
are far more beneficial to the crop an
is of far greater advantage to The Soil
"Farming for Boys" By Henry SteeOar
v IN Rural NelO Yorker.
49, = - /. 80 ---4i
II "A delicious cocoanut pudding
"a made in this way: Beat well the Yell
of thraa arOs odd q mart Of milk