The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-01-30
ag9A5 990H0lgs
suBsoII. PLoUGHING.


Prize Esay Of IA. Wsnf.rortA Farmer.
chb.
By THOMAS KIER SHORT.
As Epr the advantages derived from sub.
,aiing much diversity of opinion ex.
i,.s. and. on the whole, very lltlle is vet
known. Some practical farmers main
lain thai il is labor lost. and money thrown
,wss; others equally competent To Judge,
ay thai i, is one Of the most beneficial
operations in farming, almost equal Ia q
god nlannfing. and no system is complete
without il. Thus we see practical men
differ; both may be right aud both may be
wong.
lean produce instances where the use ol
the subsoil plough has been attended with
The greatest benefit, and others where il
has been so much money thrown away.
Many Of lis advocates are too much pre-
jadiced in lis favor. being under an i'm
preston rs matter Of course, being be.
ne6cial TO them il must he the same 10
others; but this does mol follow. for, like
many other operations in agriculture.
science must he called 10 our aid. Ana
lysis is requisite; and chemistry solves
The question.
A friend Of mine SUBSIDIZED ten or fifteen
arfes Of land which had been previously
farow drained thirty inches deep-lhe
land termed strong clay-ihe subsoilieg
being performed across the drains; Two
lands were left undone; the land sown
with wheat and red clover. The crop
looked well all winter, except one end.
which had been much damaged BY game;
The SUBSIDIZED part always keeping in adj
vance Of the other. The crop u now
reaped, but not yet threshed. The pro-
iuce Of The subsoiled part is laid by com-
peieni judges, al fifteen bushels per acre
over that undone, and was ready for The
scyihe ten or fourteen days before The 9th
er. which is Of much consequence if 4 wet
latter harvest sets in. The red clovet on
The two lands unsubsoiled attained the
height Of ten inches, from the thinness Of
The corn, and was shaken out for the
horses; whereas that on the subsoiled
land was only four inches high, from the
luxnriance Of the wheat crop.
Another friend SUBSIDIZED similar look
ing piece Of land few miles distant. The
greatest care was taken to perform the
work well. The results were that no
difference in the crop was percepiible.
and that il was time and money thrown
away.
! hese two experiments gave sufficient
evidence to the con,ending parties for and
against subscribing 10 back their opinions;
Tor in these two cases both were right and
both were wrong, both being ignorant Of
The cause.
We will now examine the cause che.
mlcally, which will eluci,laie The ques.
lion.
Strong land contains large portions OF d
mineral called alumina. which is very
compact adhesive substance, possessing
strong attractions for water and ammonia.
an analysis Of the soil where the expert.
ment was successful, was found 10 con-
iaIn. .iweniy-eigli per cent. Of alumina. the
sol resting on the red sand stone forma-
lion. The other soil where no good was
derived. contained As per cent. Of falumina,
aud rested ON one Of the worst Of clays-
The lias.
was induced TO try these analyses
rom having seen paper some time back,
in The Journal Of the Royal Agricullu-
raj Society,"" by Mr.. Thompson. who is
Of opinion that no permanent good can be
derived from subsoiling land containing
more than 43 per cent. of alumina. ! am
Inclined TO think that 40 per cent. is The
greatest 10 which the per centage should
q; and. as an instance Of this, The less
'lumina The land contains, the more per-
nanent the advantage.
Land containing less than Is per cent.
Il alamina, when ploughed after being
nbsoiled, and having produced a crop,
nrns up in much better state, approach.
hg more to strong loam than clay, and
$ much easier TO work; and ] am Of 0pin-
on that the cost Of subsoiling is saved in
be labor alone.
! have. been much surprised to see
lrong land on the lias formation, which
ad been SUBSIDIZED, iurn up the year fol-
'wing as compact and tenacious AS ever.
illhoui crack or any other mark in il
denote that il had ever been moved;
nd this can only be accounted for by the
resence Of alumina is such large quanli- I
es, which, being divided into very mi-
ute particles. having very strong alirac.
on for each other and for water, causes
em 10 unite as firm as ever. s