The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-10-07
Agricultural.
Hobbing the Soil.

forced growth of trees on lands which
are not ready for it. II the farmer
plants trees on sod lands he robs the
soil and yet only produces growth
lacking in vitality, the wood loose and
spongy, or hard and non-combustible,
and this for the reason that the subsoil
of sod land is not in state to feed q
heavier growth than that Of weed and
sage brush. There is course following
nature to be pursued in this matter Of
producing timber as well az in any
other. We cannot change the order
of nature; we may change the order
of conditions. The soil which pro-
duces timber must be able to throw off
acids in constant and healthy flow.
A growth of sumac on sod land, re-
naming till its fifth and full year,
will fit that land for timber planting,
And for these reasons sumac attracts
moisture and extracts acids in a greater
degree than any other growth known
to this country. These effects are
easily noted by the experimenter q
heavy dew will gather upon the foliage
of sumac when every blade of grass
and every other growth about it is
comparatively dry; and the berry Of
the young scrub shows power of as
similating acids, up to Its fifth year,
hey ond any other growing agent.
From the fifth to the tenth year its
power decreases and the berry becomes
comparatively tasteless, 1t having ex-
hausted the capacity of acids in the
soil and return ed to it in dew and
foliage just modicum of alkali.
After the third year of sumac growth
a planting of elms, ash and white oak
will take rapidly to the soil, and in
time produce wood which will show
all the features of forest of a hundred
years standing. Ferns, timber,
grasses and preventative moses, with
all the family of parasitic growth, will
develop in profusion; and forest as
stable and healthy as those of the tree
belts will exist for the future benefit
of generations. Most certainly to pro-
duee this masterpiece of nature, this
reservoir of health for man and
strength for the soil, is more a work
Tor humanity than to build pillared
structures or rear mounting spires to
mock a people diseased and starving
for the juices Of waving forests and the
food of swift. fingered plantations.
Use of the Hand Hoe.
With the introduction Of the horse
cultivator the hand hoe went out of
use on most Western farms. More
work could be done with the cultivs-
tor, and it could be done with greater
ease. The more the cultivator was
improved the more farmers became
attached to it, and the greater was
their reluctance to handle the hoe. At
present the implement that has been
used longer and to better advantage
than any other in the. cultivation of
crops is generally discarded on West
ern farms. Indeed, many market
gardeners manage to raise most of
their vegetables without using the hoe
to any considerable extent. The horse.
cultivator is certainly very desirable
implement to employ in both the field
and the garden, but its use should be
supplemented by that of the hand-hoe.
1t is profitable to continue the use of
the hoe in every garden and cultivated
field. Work can be performed with it
that can not be done with any nipple
ment drawn by horse. The hoe
should be used in every corn and
potato field before the cultivator is put
in operation. 1t should be employed
to remove stones, turfs and pieces Of
hard earth that may be over the plants
that are making their appearance
above ground, and for stirring the soil
around them. The cultivator ia excel
lent for working the ground between
hills, but for cultivating the hill itself
there is no implement like the hand
hoe. 1t Is very difficult to keep field
devoted to any cultivated crop entirely
clear of grass and weeds without using
the hoe. A field that has been worked
at least once with hand hoe is always
more productive than one that has
been tended with the cultivator alone.
The truth is, the former performs some
work which the latter cannot do.