Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-04-16
Flowing.
r. II. L.
East Buffalo, April l., 1851.

The season Is now at hand, when this
important branch of farm work absorbs
the farmers principal attention. Much of
the success of farming depends upon the
llow being sunk to proper depth, as well
as thorough breaking up of the soil, Civ
ing the roots Of the pant a suitable op-
portunity ofpcnctrating through the soil,
and extracting as it advances, the alkaline
salts, anl other constituents Of which the
llan; is made up. And a thorough pull
vcrization of the soil, gives an opportunity
for the atmosphere and rain water to pen
citrate more readily, and deposit its carbcnic
acid gases, nitrogen, and ammonia, at the
roots of the plant. Thacr, in his popular
work on Agriculture, says: q In perform
ing the operation of ofplowing,it is requisite,
Isl. ThW the lines traced by the plow
should be perfectly straight, and parallel
with one another the furrow slices all
equal, and uniformly turned up, so that
they may not overlap each other, or form
any inequality on the surface Of the ground;
if it be otherwise, that is to say, if the
slices are not Of equal breadth, the opera
ton becomes more difficult, because at
every deviation from straight line the
resistance which the earth opposes to the
instrument becmes increased.
ID That the piow advance at reg
ular uniform depth, and on a line parallel
10 the surface Of the soil that is to say,
that it does not as is the case when it is
not well guided, sometime cut thick and
at other times thin slices.
Sd. That the plow empty the furrow
Is completely as possible, SO that the
earth may not fall in again after the plow
has passed, and that the portion of the
soil not yet raised, but which has just been
divided by the plowsharc, may form not
in acute, bat right angle with the bottom
o. the furrow on which it borders.
And further, that the divided slices be
always of the same breadth, that they like
wise preserve the depth which it is desi-
r4blc to give them"
The fu.Glment of these desirable ends is
secured to certain extent by taking care
that the plow is properly constructed but
it also depends in great measure on the
skitl Of the plowman, who requires to un-
Gcrstand tie use of the instrument The
success which viii attend the growth Of
the crops, very much depends upon the
skill, and faithful performance Of duty on
tie par: Of the rlowman.
The width of the sod or furow-slice
must be regulated according TO the nature
Of the soil, and The object to be attained by
the plowing The greater the tenacity Of
the soil, the narrower should these slices
lc cut, for when they are too broad, it is
impossible to break and divide them prop
crly with the harrow. From a light or
sandy soil, on the other hand, wide slices
may he cut without any inconvenience !;
because the harrow always has sufficient
power OYER such soil to pulverize it COM
pletely.
The greater the depth of the burrows,
the less should be their width, both be-
cause the plow would have too great resis-
tanee TO overcome, and because if the pie
ces Of earth or sJds out of them, arc broad
and thick, they can not be turned over SO
completely as they ought to be.
If the object in view is only to bring
stubble, or to turn up the turf of land ly-
ing fallow, in order to facilitate its decom-
rcaition, plowing in wide slices is admissi-
lie, and in some respects preferable.
Two Or three.nches in the width of a
slice, makes a great difference in the guam
tiy of work done in day by the plow.
Whn The Object is TO divide tenacious
eo.i iainutcly, the Pr pr breadth for the