Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1849-05-18
AarltnLtur0l,
From the Nec York Tribune.
Deep PloWing.
NEWARK, NEw JERSEY, April 2

NEwARK, NEW JERSEY April %.
H. GREELEY, ESQ Dear Sir: ln my last
communication, promised To give your read
ers some account Of my experience in Deep
Flowing. Before entering Immediately upon
the advantages to be derived from Deep Pow.
ing, il may DC well 10 give the reasons why
piowing az all is necessary for encouraging the
growth of plants.
The Offices assigned by Nature to the soil arc;
|. The mechanical sustaining Of The roots Of
plants, aud necessarily OF the plants themselves.
N proper position; aud at the same time that the
mass Of soil should b. pervuuI to tho lncreas'
ing length Of roots.
2. The reception and retention of those ga.
ses, fluids, &c.. which Nalure's laws supply to
the soil, until the requirements Of growing
plants shall appropriate them. (,
s. Such mechanical conduon Of particles as
shall best ,eud TO the ready pairing with eSces
sive quantities of moisture and soluble excre.
menlitious matters, arising from vegetation.
4. Free admission of such c0mponenls Of the
atmosphere as, by combination with the consIiI.
uenls Of the soil, cause Them to undergo chan
yes beneficial 10 their general properties
Il is well known that, if soil is diSncgruted
but to slight depths, The roots of plants. on
reaching tho compact or undsiulegraled portion,
cease to be healthy, and refuse to sustain the
planl-lhus meadows. when seeded down with
the surface only dislurbed and not properly
pluwed, will soon run uut--Ior the under soil, +,
from NOT receiving the influence Of the Amos.
pherc, remains sour, and untitled for supply wing
the necessary ulimenlalhe tcrmin OF the roots,
consequently The plants die. II meadows be
deeply powed, lhcy will last much longer with
out re.seedng; and. when both sub.soed and
deep surface p0wed, the instance has not yM oc.
CURED where re-Serdng became neceSsOry.-
Lucerne (Frcnch Cloyer,) will grow for Que,
two, and sometimes three yeurs, on shallow.
plowed land; buff the soil be deep and lree, as
in some parts of France il has breu known 10
flourish with increased vigor for hIly years.
When Lucerne fails, tho clnse observer will
sec that its roots have reached soil that has not
been dsintcgraed.
This effect is common to most plants. and no
error is more commonlhan to mistake the length
of roots of plants. Those of the ordinary Corn
stalk will average iive To six feet in length; and
If fed be planted with Corn in hills four feet
apart, no portion of tho soil, to the depth dstur.
found that does not contain rnolS. Many OF
them are too small to be dlScerned by the naked
eye, but still they exist, and their termn are The
only pau capable Of receiving nulriment. Even
the common Onl1n has roofs eighteen inches
and many of these will descend TO their full
length if The soil has been sufficiently disnlcg.
rated. The roots oil most plunIs descend gone.
rallyanavemgeo of two.hlrds iheir length, a por.
lion only maintaining The horizontal position.
Soil has the power Ia absorb aud retain many
Of the gases found in the atmosphere unlil re.
quired by the growing plant. aud this retention
is just in propurlon 10 the quanliiy OF surfaces
of particles exposed; and, therefore, an unpIow.
ed sulhce cannot avail of this action, nor eau
shallow. pIowed land receive US much benefit
from lhls cause as that more deeply dsinlegra.
ted. The rationale Of this aclonl will expluin
in future letter.
Compact soils will nol permit the water re.
suiing from rains TO enter them, and shallow.
ploScd land will bold a large quantity Of water
near lis surface, when, from deeper disinlegra.
tion il might pass downward to sub,sol capa.
bic OF freely receiving il. Heavy lodgmenl oil
water about The roots OF most plants is deri.
mental TO their growth, while large quantities
passing over their surfaces withoutbeing rectis.
cd will carry of the more soluble portions o
the manure
Growing plants not only receive bul ,hrow
out matter from their roots, for they reject Ger
.ain portions which ARE iermed excrementlioIs
these, 10 we'll disiplegraed soils are got rid of
but when shallow ploWed they remain on III,
impersiols soil, aud from their proximilyIo iht
roots, irjaYo the piuuls, ~