The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-07-30
~ 1. $50
5sES6Ss
CULTIVATE FREQUENTLY.
Fertility OF Soil Increased and Crop
Production Greater.

That fertile soil is essential 10
prtsdnctiyeness IL an established fact.
on; notwithstanding this II can hard.
ID be considered more important than
cultivation No matter how fertile a
e'l Fl be, II such crogs "a a-a and
froHs aY~ not cultivated durlns The
growing season. no crop can BE- ex,
pccted That soil Is most productive
which Il most fertile aud which Is also
cultivated in such way AS 10
make conditions most favorable for
plant growth and Development
The manner Of cultlyatins for the
Improvement Of the soil depends some.
what on conditions For the best re-.
suits II Is necessary for the soil to re-
tain sufficient moisture to supply the
growing plants. and set that IT be not
excessively wet; that it be- loose for
the free circulation ~ air. and vet not
so porous as 70 afford rapid egapora
ton. and that II be stirred 10 a suf
ticient depth 10 facilitate ample root
development. II the snbsoil IN firm
and compacted. the roots are likely 10
be cramped and their growth retarded.
And perhaps most important Of all il
the need OF keeping the crop clean. az
it's value Will be lessened in proportion
To the development OF the weeds No
matter what crop one may be growing,
IL and weeds Will not thrive together.
One or the other must hold the mas.
terry, and which II shall be depends on
utpA - "A
cultivation. Where this Is poor and
weeds are permitted to grow luxur.
iantly and the ground becomes seeded
with them. the soil is sometimes
spoken OF as being run down" In
fact the fertility OF the soil may not
be at all depleted. but conditions are
unfavorable to the utilization of It's
producing properties.
For such crops as need cultivation
the soil should be plowed deep II.
however. shallow plowing has been
practiced for several years 1t may not
be best to turn up several inches of
subsoil at one time, but 1t should be
plowed little deeper each year until
a good mellow soil Is secured to a
depth of 10 or IL inches.
To enliven an acid soil and admit
free circulation of air, a good supply
OF humus is required, says the Indiana
Farmer. To get a mellow seed bed,
such as cultivated crops require, the
soil is usually so porous as to afford
evaporation. This can be prevented.
however, by shallow cultivation. have
found it advisable to harrow such
crops as corn and potatoes before
they come up, using spike-tooth har-
row. This holds the growth OF the
weeds in check till the crops are big
enough to cultivate, and, If cultivation
is frequent enough to keep the weeds
completely eradicated, shallow cult
walton may be practiced throughout
the entire season. For best results
the cultivators should be kept con-
stantly going. Especially after a rain
the surface should be stirred to the
depth of about three inches to check
evaporation and retain the moisture
about the roots of the plants. All
the moisture that evaporates directly
from the ground is lost, and where
the soil is properly drained the prob
lem is to prevent evaporation as much
as possible. The constant stirring of
the surface will keep 1t dried out,
and the drier 1t is the less moisture
that will rise through it and be taken
into the air.
We may say that the soil is i'm
proved by any method of cultivation
that increases it's productiveness and
makes its producing properties more
available for the succeeding crop.