The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-06-12

From ths Farmer and Planter.
sUpsorLrNG AND TURNING LAND.

sUpsoILfNG AND TURNING LAND.
Messrs. Editors Feeling particular
interest in the success OF agriculture. TO
which have devoted so much Of INV life.
am induced 20 give you some Of nv
views and. practice in subsoiling land.
which fnd 10 correspond with The ex.
perience Of other men.
The result Of snbsoiling ] find 10 vary
very much according 10 the kind Of land,
and the season Of iie year in which the
work is done. An indisrriminaie use Of
the sub soil plow, may occasionally have
had eject upon some kinds of land.
which would tend to discourage new be-
pianer; when on land Of another character
/, would be productive OF The most happy
consequences-so my experience teaches
me.
would never use The sub.soil plow on
sandy land in the fall Of the year es-
pecially where the sub-soil is also sandy.
once uied !, TO the depth of fourteen
inches. in September. ls45. and have not
made good crop on the land since. The
woik was done in This way the first fur
row was run with turning plow. drawn
by two horses. 10 the depth Of six inches;
another hand followed alter 10 the same
funow with very large coulter drawn
BY Two mules, TO the depth Of eight inch.
es.
hope that oiher persons may be as
much pro6led by learning OF this, my er-
TOR, as they may be by hearing Of my sue.
cess hereafter. To report failure, and
the true cause of il. in my undertaking. is
often of more service TO others. than 10
learn how an indisidual may have been
successful in particular enterprise.
So | think the cause Of my failure IN
this instance was doing the work on this
sandy land. in the fall oi the year. when
the winter rains would pass down, and
carry away The richest portion Of The soil,
instead OF doing The work in the spring.
when just about TO put in The crop.
Imade another trial in the same way
that the above was executed, though on
a poor piece Of red clay land, with lieh.
crop of red clover on il. In this instance
did not plow near % deep as IN the first,
for my teams could not draw the plows
near so deep as in the sandy land. though
both were quite dry when the work was
done, for | have long thought. that land
j. injured more by blowing one time when
wei, Than two crops would do with proper
culture. So the clay land was turned with
the fir>t pillow about three inches deep.
and with the second about i've inches
deed. And never saw land improved
as much by one blowing in my life, as il
was. Both pieces were treated just alike.
q, the same season Of The year, one was
nearly spoiled. and The other improved
nearly one hundred per cent.
In turning land over in this climate, iar.
mers onghl TO he particular to use sound
discretion. for such blowing must be done
with more caution in this climate than IN
higher and colder lalitudes, because Of the
great eaec, which the sun has upon our
thin and ligh, soils. There can be no
great advantage in turning up high thin
land to the sun, unless there is something
on top which ought TO be put into the
soil. Where there is good, green crop
ofciover, peas, or grass 10 pu, in, u may
be done at any season Of the year lf the
plowing is no, done Too deep. But all
green crops intended TO improve the soil,
ought TO he turned under before the seed
mature. because all crops take as much
from the soil 10 mature the seed, as they
do TO bring them to tho bloom.
have turned land at all seasons o.
the year, sometimes deep, and sometimes
shallow. have turned broomsedge foul
feet high in January, and killed il oul
completely; my plow ran verysieady. ant
turned II top under. at about two inches
depth. only deep enough To get fairly un.
der the sod. The rain and freezing killed
il ef1ectuaily.
lhaye turned under grass crops in June,
that were two feet high. with the mos
favorable results; though this grew IN bet
Ter land than that which produced the
hronmsedge, and therefore The grass took
deeper hold in the soil, and had TO be
plowe,i a liiilel deeper than the sedeei
though only deep enough to get the plow
TO hold well. This was turned between
three and four inches deep, and narrowed
over with three horse harrow.
Il once injured piece Of red clay land
near this town. very much. by turning u
little too deep in August. when the land
Was little TOO wet; and the weeds had
nra,iv mstured their seed, Of which there
wasa ssod cror, although il was thin land'