Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-09-30

advantage in connection with late blowing,
if it is done in the ordinary way. The
soil is liable to be made into mortar, and
run together by rains, so that by seed-time
it becomes closely packed. Il is difficult
after this to bring the soil into the friabIe
condition required to fit it for crop, with
out blowing again, and that operation would
bring back the undecomposed sod, to which,
as Just remarked, there are weighty Office
tons.
So far as regards the improvement Of the
feature of soils. il may be assured that those
of cIayey and tenacious nature, and those
only, may be benefited by late blowing
The improvement in such cases results from
the division of their particles by the action
of frost by this their cohesion is overcome
and access given to the air, which dispels
acids injurious to vegetaton-thus render-
ing soluble and available, to plants, the
food which before was inert. But these
desirable results can only be obtained by
the soil being frozen when it is in com
paratively dry state. If it is wet at the
time it is frozen, and remains so till it i:
lhawed and settled, no pulverizing effect il
produced, the favorable agency Of the all
is excluded, and the soil remains in an un
genial state.
TO obtain these advantages of frost thu
soil should be thrown into narrow ridges
by turning two burrows together, in tn
manner called back burrows The iurrow
should be made in the direction hest calcu
lated to drain of the water, without allow
ing it TO form large streams, as these nigh
gull the soil. This kind of blowing car
be done to the best advantage on land tina
has been under cultivation one season, o
more. 1t ca be done with sward ground
but, as before stated, the grass will come t
the surface when it is cross-plowed in tn
spring, requiring much labor to destroy il
If however. sward ground were plowed il
August or The first of September, the swar
would become dead, and so decompose,
by November, that it might be cross-plow
ed in ridges with advantage. The later il
the season the ridging can be done the bel
ter, as the soil will be more fully expose
to the action Of frost, before the ridge
have been washed down with rains Tn
ridges should I've made as high and mario,
as practicable. in order that the frost an
air may act thoroughly on the soil.
There is no operation which tends 81
much to produce friability in tenaciou
soils, or which so much develops their fel
tiity, or insures the growth of crops, a
blowing them late in the fall, in the manne
above described But, to derive the flu
advantages Of the operation, the soil Shout
be properly under.drained. This will az
nit the descent Of water so readily, III,
the soil will remain permeabIe and open
but if the water remains long in the sol
the beneficial effects of pulyerlzation wi
be comparatively temporary. The Sbdkih
Of the soil will reduce it to its former heav
condition.
Other advantages are claimed for ia
blowing, which do not relate to the ia
proyement of the soil such as that of tn
destruction Of worms, in some instanc,
the killing of noxious plants, aud in oth'
instances the convenience of doing Il
/ work at a season when the farmer has mo
n leisure, and his team is, perhaps, in bett
Il condition To labor, and may be kept at 1e
v expense than in spring.
a AS to the destruction Of insects, su,
r accurate experiments have not, so far as '
d know, been made as would show the q
+ vantages of fall piowiug in this respect.
k may be remarked, however, that worr
i prepare themselv s for winter by descen
n ing into the earth, more or less AID
!, after they have fixed themselves in their p
J., sition, they are turned up to the air, viii
t the weather is so cold as 10 prevent The
V motion, it is reasonable to suppose that b
: fore spring many of them would be kllle
e II is thought that this has been favorable
e the destruction of wire worms, which a
y generally prevalent on deep soils aud tho
f of mucky character, though they som
d times do much injury on clays.
n Witch-grass, or couch grass, may be
some extent destroyed by blowing just
the setting IN of winter. Those who ha'
: had experience with this pernicous graz
l. know how great nuisance it is, aud h,
= difficult to eradicate. 70 destroy it
h frost, the ground should be plowed deep
in ridges. The pillow should run, if pr'
a ticabIe, to the bottom Of the roots, that III
e may all be, as much as possible, exposed
d the air and frost. The rains will wash G
j. much of the earth, especially iO sandy sol
:, leaving the roots bare, and the a!terni
g freezing and thawing in this situation, "
: deprive many of them Of Wit iity.-ABa
C4hiUator.