Arizona republican., 1897-12-30
AGRICULTURAL.
TILLAGE OF THE SOIL.
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TILLAGE OF THE SOIL.
 The man who by precept and ex- ample did more than any other to di- rect the attention of farmers to the great importance of repeated cultiva- tions of growing crops was Jethro Full, an Englishman, who began farming about 1701, and whose book on 'fHorse-Hoeing Husbandry" was published in 1731. He was an enthusi ast on the subject of tillage, and his neighbons and contemporaries, who were slow to follow his example of thorough tillage, considered him a crank. The implement we call cu,- tivator, in Great Britain has always been called s.hoSe-hoe" Grain drills and horse-hoes were known and had been used to small extent in England previous to the time of Full, but he improved them both and made their value better kDown He not only planted his potatoes and turnips but also his wheat in rows or drills, far enough apart to work between them with horse-hos, and he con tinued the horse-hoeing at short in- tervals until they had arrived we'll nigh to maturity. It is my impression that many English farmers continue to horse-hce their whaat to their ad- vantage to this day. I have harrOwed wheat in the spring (when the ground was not seeded with grass seed) and know it increased the yield and strengthened the stalks, making them less liable to lodge.
 There is not much doubt that ire quently exposing fresh soil to the air by tha cultiVator enables it to arrest and absorb the fertiliZing gases which have escaped from the steamirg dung hill and decaying vegetable and ani- nal matter, and which are floating in the atmosphere to the detriment of the health of men and animals. Full showed that the roots of plants ex- terhed to a greater distance than had been generally supposed, and that the spaces between rows should be wider than had been the common practice of farmers to make them, in order that the plants could have larger pas ture,' as he expressed it. The Sec oh who have been called tha Yankees Of Europe" were the first to recognize and adopt Tull's improvements in til- lage. and their cultivators, instead of horse-hoes, were called 'grubte-s' and ~snarifers.'
 Farmers to this day do not fully appreciate, the value of frequent cul- tivation of growing crops. The best field Of corn 1 ever saw was raised on land of only moderate fertility with out manure, but the cultivator YVES kept going regularly once a+week fror' the time the plants, appeared above ground until the stalks were as high as a horses back
 It is not necessary to describe the different kinds of walking ard riding cultivators used in this country at the present timel Most of the walki g cultivators have frames of wood O. iron, into which the teeth are inserted It caa be quickly widened or narrow ed ait the rear end to suit the width Of the spaces between the rows They all have teeth of different shapes and sizes, which can be easily chai-lg d when different work is required. They all have wheels which can be ra-s5d or lowered in a momsnt to make thrm run deeper or shallower, as may be desired. It is generally agreed that the cultivation may be deep while the plants are small, and must be shallow er eS their roots extend across the space between the rows, so as not to destroy them and check the growth of the plants. They all have shie11s or teeth which turn the dirt away from tha young plants Cat the first wcrking) so that they will not ga buried Riding or sulky cultivators are Ilalde in different styles, usuall- for two horses. They are more com plicated and expensive than the walk ing cultivators, but will cultivate two rows at one passing.
 Sixty years ago a man, with the aid of horse, small plough and hoe, could cultivate one acre of corn in a day. Now, with one of the bast rid ing cultiva,tors, he can cultivate twelve acres, and be no more fatiguei at night than if he had been taking a dayis journey in a buggy.