The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-03-01
There are two

thing is to fertilize. There are two
kinds of tillage practised-tillage to
prepare the soil for receiving the crop,
and tillage to maintain the soil in good
condition for the growth of the crop.
In the first the land should be loosened
and pulverized as deep as ordinary
roots go: to maintain the soil in ideal
condition the surface should be titled
or stirred as often as it becomes crust
ed or compacted. The depth to which
the soil should be pulveriZed or plow'
ed will vary with the character of the
soil and the crop that is to be planted;
it must be determined in each par
ticular case. Land that is very hard,
or in which there is high subsoll,
nearly always needs to be plowed deep
the effort being to deepen the soil.
On the other hand, lands which are
sandy or leachy generally should be
plowed shallow, the idea being to COM
pact the under soil and thereby pre-
vent the teaching. The root crops,
such as late beets, parsnips. carrots,
horse-radish and the like, demand deep
blowing, or a deep soil, in order that
they may grow long and symmetrical.
Where intensive farming is to be
practised as in gardening, subsolllng
the land is an important consideration
especially in lands which are hard or
have a high subsoil, and also for the
long-rooted crops, these demanding
deep soil in which to perfect their
growth. Subsoiling is not a perma-
nent corrective of the land, for the
soil once treated with the subsoll pillow
soon settles back into it's original hard
condition, and the operation must be
repeated. The fundamental corrective
of such soils is under-drained and the
incorporation of humus. The growing
of clover on the soil intended for vege-
table gardening is also great aid, as
the legume sends its roots deep into
the soil, besides gathering nitrogen
from the air. Yet with all these aids
subsoiling has it's place in the market
garden.
The addition of humus, or the incor-
pOration of fibre, is an important mat
ter to consider in connection with
vegetable growing. Land is rapidly
improved when humus is added. 1t is
done by blowing under any kind of
vegetation, such as rye, clover, manure,
or the refuse of the garden. When
this fibrous matter decays it becomes
humus, and this improves the physical
condition of the soil by making 1t
loose, open and mellow; by enabling
it to hold moisture; by preventing the
pudding or cemeting of clay soils, by
decreasing the heat of the surface soil
in summer, and by improving the
chemical condition of the soil. In
humus itself there is to be found plant
food. The addition of large quantities
of manure to the land is the operation
of adding humus-and lands that are
MANFRED heavily year after year, the
manure properly decomposing, become
quick" and highly amenable to treat
ment. Such lands can be titled at al
most any time in the growing season,
and when one crop is off another can
be put in quickly.
When the soil has been properly ut
ted and improved, as suggested In the
foregoing, it becomes time to think OF
adding plant food. This plant food
may be supplied in the form of COM
mercial fertilizer or it may be added
by blowing under green crops or by ad-
ding manure or compost of garden re-
fuse. AS in the raising of the crops
themselves, it is a good plan to have
rotation in the fertiliZing Of the land,