Democratic banner., 1851-04-28
Rad Farming.

Sowing wheat upon land without ploW[
ing is considerably practised in various
parts of the United States, particularly in
the South, the seed being covered with q
very light plow, which merely scratches
the surface. This is bad farming. How
can good crop be expected when thus
put in? 1t is contended by the advocates
of this labor-ssving, crop-losing system,
that land which has borne crop of corn
and peas, and been fed of By stock is al
ways clean and fit to receive the Seed
True, but being clean is not all that IS re-
quired 10 make young plant grow
Fresh, newly pulverised soil is as essential
to give the seed life and power to vegitate
as it is necessary TO pulrerize the grain for
the use of man, to enable h,m to obtain the
full supply Of nu,riment from the fe-giving
substance. when properly fitted by grinding
and justification to be taken into the hu-
man stomach. No matter how clean your
ground may be, never sow the seed upon
it before it has been previously well pre-
pared by the plow-ihe most important
machine ever invented by man.
Planting corn before piowing the ground
is another instance Of bad farming. This
is also praciised in the South. The land is
listed, that is, marked of for the row by
turning q couple ofvery light furrows to-
ge,her leaving the centres to be broken out
after the corn Is planted. One half of the
labor Of tending q crop, to say nothing OF
its increased quantity, might be saved ifthe
ground were well prepared before plsp,ing.
The excuse for this slovenly plan is is:-
The planter says he can tend more acres
than he can plow previous to planting, and
it is impossible to get the seed in the ground
and do The plowing afterwards. The plan
may produce him corn, but we doubt it,
If the ground were well prepared before
planting, IT would require less labor alter
wards, and undoubtly more to the acre.
| These hints are not alone intended foI
the South; Northern farmers are guilty OF
bad farming also. We have seen many
hundreds of acres Of oats sown before plow-
ing and then ploughed in. Avery common
practice is to sow oats on corn stubble, first
splitting the hill by running iurrow through
them with one horse plow; in this case
one-hslf the seed falls upon surface as
unified to promote vegetation as brick
pavement. In turning over many of the
seeds are buried beneath the clud and LOST
forever.
Ifyou desire good crops you must use
good tools-yes, use them-plow deep, pull
verize the soil, fit it to produce a harvest
and it will never disappoint you, except in
an occasional visitation of some unavio.
dabie circums, ances that Providence may
inflict npon you.
Neglecsing to set out fruit trees is an.
other evidence of bad farming, which pains
the eye Of every observing traveller in A.
merica. With the best fruit country in the
world for the most substantial kinds, we
have seen thousands of farms as destitute
Of good apple, pear, plum, peach, ounce,
cherry, current, as though God had for
bidden them to grow and gladden. the hearts
of man in this fertile land.
Another evidence Of bad farming is the
neglect of that great source Of comfort and
luxury to every farmers family-the kitch-
en- garden. But where sha II we stop with
our evidsnce2 We will do il here and sub.
init the case to the judgement of improv-
ing community.-.4mer,can .Agr,culturist