Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-10-05
BY ISAAC BRIGGS.


s0thout burying the SOIL.
BY ISAAC BRIGGS.
SANDY SPRING, MD. 3 MO. Is, 1892.
When an individual in community con-
ceiyes an idea or possesses knowledge
OF any operation which he thinks would
be an improvement of eenerl practice,
and is use public benefit TO commune
cate ii, il not duty, is al least not cen
surable. The idea which am about to
Offer for the consideration Of my fellow
ci'izens, and which | believe will be
found 10 be all Improvement, originated
in the minds Of several of my nelghbors
as we'll as my own as far as know. in
dependently of each other. | know not
with whom it had priority. The sub
iect is an agricultural instrument to stir
and loosen he ground, deeher Maa the
deepest hloughing, so as to keep the
vegetable mould still above.
The idea of such an operation has been
for years in my mind, but dormant there,
in consequence OF pursuits which gave
me full employment and restrained me
from the immediate practice OF agricui-
ture, until the end OF the 9th month o.
las year, when wrote to Gideon Davis,
of Georgetown, letter of which the
following is an eXtraC; -" think there
is still wanting in good husbandry, an
instrument such as | have not yet seen
in use. My idea is as follows i'll
brl aking up ground which has been
long neglected, | would have an msiru
mcnt something like coulter to follow
the first plough, and to stir tie ground
in Inc bottom OF the same lurrow (with-
out bringing it up six or eight inch, S
deeper, the next breaking up plough 20
be turned over ON this loosrned earth. and
the coulter again to follow, and 50 on
though the field | would have the
first plough to make a deep .furroau, not
outstanding | would stir the ground
still deeper. am bent on making
this experiment, at least--and | visa
thou wou!dst turn Thy thoughts towards
such culture and such all ins,ru-
ment."
I My friend and neighbour, Roger
Brooke, has lust put into my hands, with
permission to use at my discretion, The
following copy OF paper which he
drew up in some time last autumn, and
sent, addressed to the editor Of the
American Farmer, TO be published
anonymously. Ii must have miscarried,
as i, has not appeared in print. | have
prevailed on him to allow me to connect
with il the reainamc Of the author.
sour agricultural instruments gene
orally, and poughs particularly, have
stately been much improved, and deep
ploushins has been adopted by almost
/" all good farmers. We however lack
I" one implement from the operation of
(which il is believed we should derive
90 many important advantages. l mean
ga proper instrument to follow the
A" plough in all its rounds, and 20 open
"ths bottom of the burrows, so that we
"may stir the earth and render it per-
vious to greater depth than can be
done By the plough alone, and ye;
leave the vegetable mould near the sur
face where nature has place. it, and
where it ought to be for obvious reasons.
The utility Of such an operation will be
readily seen by all who know the great
length of roots which are thrown out by
most vegetables, wherever they find sut-
ficient depth of loose earth. | have for
years had thought of putting in prac-
tee something of that kind, but not
knowing exactly what wsuld best per-
form The desired operation, added to a
disposition TOO apt to delay the perform
ance Of what l know to be right, l
have neglected it: Although it may
appear at first view to be no difficult
thing to construct something adapted TO
the purpose, yet l think i. of conse-
quence enough TO claim the attention of
the Maryland Agricultural Society, and
worthy Of handsome premium, for the
one that will, with a given power, break
the whole width Of the iurrow to the
greatest depth. Should ii not be deem
ed worthy Of consideration to the society,
hope some Of our ingenious and pub
lie spirited mechanics will exert their
inventive powere, to confer benefit on
Z the cultvators ofthe soil. Ihave thought
of three coulters, or the same number
Of the tines of Beatson's scari6er placed
in triangular position, but this l leave
to better judges, not doubling that if