The Springdale news., 1909-04-06
,ortions; sage grass for instance.

On the other hand we have a, fully realized that to reach tht best results in the growing crop: of anything, the plant, whatevel 1t may be, must be fed ant nourished from the soil. This can only be done by making tht chemical properties of the soi available to plant life. Int proper stirring of the soil is the means of bringing the young feeders of plant life and the chemical properties together And to this stirring it is vitally important that the stirring be done at the right time, and ir the right way, and to the proper extent.
 As to the right way, the indi- vidual doing it, or having 1t done, must be his own judge; sometimes very deep and radical cultivation is necessary; at other times shal- low cultivation IS the thing Sc experience in many respects is the only correct criterion. 1 mo- tice in the next place that one of the great and most important purposes of cultivation of the soil is the conservation of mois- ture.
 That there may be any kind of growth so far as applies to vege- table life, a few things are necessary:
 1. The soil as basis of growth.
 ?. The seed as basis of re- producton.
 }. The clements that bring these two together in whatever there may be of the process.
 By elements, l mean CD Sun light and heat; CD Atmospheric influences and effects; and (3) Moisture which, quite largely, is product of the first two.
 There may be forms of vege- table life that can be grown with out either sunlight or heat; but if that IS true 1t is so far contrary to the natural order of things that they could be of very little value to mankind. With the limited knowledge have on the subject, l prefer still to hold onto my partnership with old sol, the mighty orb of day.
 Again, there can be no form of living or growth without at mospheric rehabilitation, using that word in the sense of contin- ued possibility of existence.
 As to moisture: 1 think 1t is a simple, yet pretty well under stood law of physics and ehemis- ,,,a IA rA< cal <l,a soil to produce moisture, but to hold 1t.
 This is true whether 1t comes from the clements above or from the earth beneath or from both. Growing vegetation of whatever kind, must be nourished by mois- ture or perish. Hence the stir ring of the soil that the roots and rootlets of the plant may be fed. The philosophy involved in the matter IS that the stirring the soil or surface, produces a dust mulch, and forms a bed for retaining the water supply that may come in the form of rainfall, or irrig ation, and also prevents the evaporation and escape of the moisture that comes from below.
 
 So that it will be apparent to all that whatever the form of the mulch the more thorough 1t is the better. But If the retention of moisture is the main consider ation, this can be done by other than the dust mulch.
 And there IS contention abroad, and ably supported, thai fruit trees when once they are 1T full bearing, should be nourish ed by vegetable mulch rather than the dust mulch. This con tention is we'll worthy of ou1 thoughtful consideration.
 The idea seems to be that the surface soil of the bearing tree' is put in proper shape, and afte that, for a few years at least, th' moving machine rather than tht plow is to be the instrument o conserving the moisture. Al forms of vegetation that ma