The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-10-08
THE WHY OF THE oUITrvAToR
BY Ernest A. Marris

practice cultivation keeps the weeds
down and the moisture near the sur
face of the soil, but why it helps the
moisture to stay on the upper strata
of the ground few of US understand.
There is a reason for all things and,
once understood, it is easy to prac-
'tice.
Cultivation stirs the top layers, OF
the soil, allowing the air to warm and
to penetrate the lower layers, and at
Ithe same time enabling the soil bac-
TERRA that converts the food elements
into available form for the plants to
work more efficiently. 1t also starts
the moisture up toward the surface
both by capillary action and by the
natural law of evaporation.
If you do not cultivate the mois-
ture on top evaporates more and
more as the soil becomes more heat
ed, dry and hard. The closer you can
keep moisture to the surface the bet
ter growth your crop will make, and
the larger your crop will make, AMI
the larger returns you will get. By
the word crop" mean anything you
are growing, from vegetables to fruit
When to cultivate depends on the
kind of crop, on the soil, on the ex-
posure of the land. on the tempera-
ture, On the winds, on the amount of
rain and when it falls each season.
On irrigated land cultivate after
each irrigation when the ground is
dry enough to form blanket of fair
| ly dry, crumbly soil.
Should showers come late in the
season watch out for weeds. Late
rains are usually followed by warm
days, that makes the weeds fairly
jump up out of the ground. Do not
get caught. Get into the field at soon
as the weeds can be noticed.
When after the last rains have
come and you have an ideal blanket
of dry, loose soil two or three inches
deep end the crop is coming along
we'll, put wide shovels on your cul-
tivator and stir and turn over the
surface as often as you can without
undue expense.
Orchards should be thoroughly and
deeply cultivated after harvest in
order to save every drop of moisture
for the trees when they are exhaust
ed from producing their crop.
The character of the soil makes a
difference in the method and time OF
fcultivation. Light pland soil, especi-
Hally if it is at all clayey, must be
cultivated oftener and sooner after
Iplanting than the heavier lowland
soil. The exposure of the land, and
it's slope, may change conditions, re-
quiring more frequent stirring. 1t il
well to stop work during real hot
drying weather, as the moisture evap'
crates rapidly and the benefit secured
may not be worth the labor. The
eonly exception for working Their
would be for killing weeds.
When operating the cultivator al
ways take ample room at the end oil
the rows to turn When making the
first cultivation run as close to the
plant as you dare. Set the machine
narrow so that you will only have tt
watch one side and go twice in &
row. For the second cultivation sci
the machine to clear both rows an6
go deep into the soil. After that mar
row up the machine and put on one
wide shovel, For stirring and turn
ing over the dust blanket use onl!
the wide shovel, but be careful MOI
to cut any of the feeder roots. This
last hint applies to both one-horst
and two-horse cultivators.
The cultivators should be easy ant
quick of regulation, so that they car
be swung to catch a weed or to mis-
plant that is out of line, or to lif
it out of the ground or made to dill
deep in hard patch.
The disc harrow in it's many form
, is best for cutting up and pulverzinl
the ground in the spring, and b,
using an orchard extension is good II
orchard work After the spring worl
is done the lightest implements con
sistent with strength are best. TIL
less weight of team or tool that pass
II es over he ground the less compac
1.-The soil becomes and the better tn
/ results.-The Utah Farmer.