Benefits Of Hoeing

Too many persons who use the hoe suppose that the chief benetifc derivec from it is it kills the weeds. That, cer tainly, is an important vvork, and one vhich is greatly negleeted. Weeds are not only in the way oí cultivatinj crops which we plant, bnt tliey rob them of much of the nutriment which they need. Iloeing, then, is au essen tiul service in respect to destroying tlie weeds. There are other advantages, however which are quite coinmonljr overlooked Let us see: 1. The loosening of the soil in the pperation of'hoeing is beneficia! to the plants; as niuch as the destriiction oí the weeds, ot more so. 2. Moisture abounds in the atmos phere during the hottest nionths, and it is a'-sorbed andretained most almud antly by a soil which is in the mosi friable state. Professor Sehuluber f ouim that 1,000 grains of stift' clay absorba in twenty-four hours ohljr thirty-six grains of moisture from the air; while garden inold absorbed forty-five grains, and line magnesia seventy-six grair.s. 3. Then, again, pulrerizing tbe soil enables it better to retain the moisture absorbed. 4. The soil, in order to be healthy and active, must breathe. A light, poro us soil admits the air, and t luis it is fed and greatly invigoruteri by I lio atmosphere. 5. The sun's rays heat a hard soil mucn quicker than a loóse one. and Uic hotter the sun is so much greater will be the evaporation fom it; so that the hard soil is deprived of moisture much sooner than one of a leose texture. 6. The roots of plants can fmd their way tlirough a moist, loóse soil in search of food much better than they can through a hard, dry soil. 7. A soil that is kept loóse near the surface by the action of the hoe will rereive and hold the rain water that falls, whilea hard soil will allow most of it to run off into the valley's ruad streamsas it falls. An English gardener, Mr. Barns, of Devonshire, in giving an opinión of the importance of hoeing, said he "did not agree with those who say that one good weeding is worth tvvo hoeings. I say never weed any crop in which a hoe can get between the plants.not so much for the sake of destroying the weeds and vermin, as forincreasingtheporosity of the soil, to allow the water and air to nenetrate freely through it." He adds: "I am well convinced, by long md close practico, that oftentimes there s more 'icneflt derivexl by crops from teeping Uiem well hoed than there is "rom keepiwg tne manure applied."