To accomplish such cultivation, all crops should be placed in
rows rather far apart, so far indeed that a horse carrying a
cultivator could walk between them. The horse-hoeing idea of the
system became fundamental and gave the name to his famous book, "The
Horse Hoeing Husbandry," by Jethro Tull, published in parts from
1731 to 1741. Tull held that the soil between the rows was
essentially being fallowed and that the next year the seed could be
planted between the rows of the preceding year and in that way the
fertility could be maintained almost indefinitely. If this method
were not followed, half of the soil could lie fallow every other
year and be subjected to continuous cultivation. Weeds consume water
and fertility and, therefore, fallowing and all the culture must be
perfectly clean. To maintain fertility a rotation of crops should be
practiced. Wheat should be the main grain crop; turnips the root
crop; and alfalfa a very desirable crop.
It may be observed that these teachings are sound and in harmony
with the best knowledge of to-day and that they are the very
practices which are now being advocated in all dry-farm sections.
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