Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-04-01
81 70 rnsr.
Bad Farming.

fCS"ih6 uASc-o upUu ldAu NltuUuU
ploughing is considerably practiced in
various parts of the United States,
particularly in the South; the seed
being covered with light plough,
which merely scratches the surface.
This is bad farming. How can a
crop be expected when thus put INF
It is contended by the advocates of
this labor-saying, crop-losing system,
that land which has borneIa crop of
corn and peas, and fed off by stoc.;;,
is always clean and fit TO receive the
seed, True but being clean is not
all that Is required to make the young
plant grow. Fresh pulyerized soil is
as essential to give the seed life and
power to vegetate, as il is necessary
to pulverise the grain for the use of
man, to enable him to obtain the
supply Of MURINE from the life
giving substance, when properly fitted
by grinding and mastication to be
taken into the stomach. No matter
how clean your ground may be, never
SOW the seed upon it before it has
been previously well prepared by the
plough-the most important machine
ever Invented by man
Planting corn, before ploughing the
ground, il another instance of very
bad farming. This is also much prac-
ticed at the South. The land is list
ed, that is marked off for the rows by
turning a couple of very light fur
rows together lea wing the centres to
be broken out after TIL corn is plant
ed. One-half of the Id Dor Of tending
crop, to say nothing Of its in
creased quantity, might be saved, il
the ground were well prepared be-
fore planting. The excuse for this
slovenly plan is this The planter
says he can tend more acres than he
canfplough previous to planting, and
it is important to get the seed in The
ground and do the ploughing after
wards. The plan may produce hin
more corn, but we doubt it. If tn,
ground were well prepared before
planting, it would require less labo
afterwards, and u undoubtedly produces
more to the acre.
These hints are not all intended 70
the South; northern ia mersare guilt,
of bad farming also. We have seel
many acres of oats sown befor
ploughing and then planted in. I
very common practice, is to SOW oat
on corn stubble, first splitting tn
hills, by running a furrow through
them with a one-hors Use plough. il
this case one-half the seed falls upol
a surface as untitled to promote veg
citation as brick pavement. il
turning this over ma ny of the seed
are buried beneath tn clods and los
forever. If you desire good crops
you must use good tools-yes, US
them-plow deep-pulverise the sol
fit it to produce a harvest, and
will never disappoint you, except il
an occasional visitation of some una
voidable cir umstance that Provi
dencc may inflict upon you.
Negleeting to set out fruit trees i
another evidence of bad farming
which pains the eye of every observ
ing traveller in America. With tn
best fruit country in the world 70
the most substantial and importan
kinds, we have thousands Of farm
as destitute of good apple, pear
peach, q uince, plum, cherry, or cur
rant, as if God had forbidden then
to grow and gladden. the hearts 0
men in this fertile land.
! Another evidence of bad farming
is, the neglect of that source of com
fort and luxury to every farmer
ifamily-the kitchen garden. Bu'
where shall we stop with our evidence
We will do it here and submit The
case to the Judgment of an improv
Ing community.--4merican Agr7cut