The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-05-16
farmers 9epartmfat.
tFrOm the Ohio Farmer.)

We part with notions imbibed in our
youth and practiced upon for a series of
years, very reluctantly. Hence it is,
that many we'll meaning farmers, view
this subject of deep ploRing, with some
degree of suspicion. They have found
that for a series of years four inch plow-
ing has regularly produced crops OF
wheat, corn and oats, and som farmers
have even persuaded themselves, that
the best meadows and pastures are pro-
duced by sowing upon the unplowed
earth.
But all these, and many other errors
in the art of farming, are being rapidly
dispelled, and we-expect to live to see
all the young, and m~iddle-aged farmers,
pushing a very different system of prac-
tice from that which has been so gener-
ally pursued, especially in regard to
blowing.
1t viii be observed that all those who
give their experience in deep tillage,
have but one story to tell, to wit: that
crops grown upon deep p!owed land,
stand the drouh and acct the best, and
produce the largest yields. The reasons
for these advantages, are the most sim
pie kind, aod should. be conclusive in
the mind of any farmer who knows that
the toarnth, moisture, and nutrinsest,
are essential to the growth of vegeta-
tion.
These reasons ere, as oft before re-
psated:
L. When an excess of water falls up
en- a crop, it is distributed through a
greater extent of soil, and settles away
belong the body of the roots of plants,
thereby avoiding the chilling and soak
ing, which plants arc subject to, whose
roots are emersed in water.
s.. In a season of drouth, tie water
snichhas thus become stored away du-
ring an excess of rain, is attracted up
ward with the heat of the atmosphere.
and dryness of the surface soil, thus
coming in contact with the roots, fur
nishing moisture to the plant, and hold
ing in solution the chemical constituents
contained in the soil, upon which the
growing crop depends for sustenance.
g. It Is essential te a vigorous growth
ofyegetation, that the soil should be-
come soarng.
This takes place only through the
medium Of warm air circulating through
the soil. The air cannot penetrate, ex
cept the soil be well stirred and render
ed, measurably light. The depth to
which the pillow is sunk. If the land is
only disturbed four inches in depth,
then only four inches of soil will be
warmed. The compact soil below this,
will hold its winter temperature to a
late day in spring, constantly present
inga chilled surface to to the roots of
they Dung and tender crop. We hear of
warm soils, but rarely consider this We
~ desirable property depends upon the
fact, that the soil is naturally light and
porous, readily admitting the warm air
Of early spring, even before blowing.
T. He that thoroughly tills his land
twelve inches deep, renders available
twice the amount of nutritious matter
that is developed by his neighbor, who
plows but six inches deep.
The following facts, published in the
Royal Journal of the English Agricul-
sural Society, by sir Edmund j. Tracy,
should be carefully studied by every
farmer
ION coming" he says, +" to reside on
my estate, at Blackheath, about six
years since, I found five hundred acres
of heath land, composing two. farms,
(which had been enclosed under an act
of Parliament about forty years,) with
out tenants, the gorse, heathern, and
fern, shooting up in all parts. In short
the land was in such condition, that the
crops returned dot even so much as the
seed sown. The soil as a loamy soil,
and had not been broken up beyond the
depth of four inches, beneath which,
was q s~ubstratum, (provincially called
an iron pan0 so hard that it was with
difficulty broken up with a pick, and my
bailif, whe had looked after the lands
for thirty-fve years, declared that they
wers not worth tilling; that all the
neighbsring farmers thought the same
thing, and that there was but one thing
TO be done, viz, to plant with fir and
forest trees. But to this I paid but
little attention, az / had the year pre-.
Yious, allotted some parcels of ground
taken out of the adjoining lands, to
some cottages, to each cottage about
-one-third of an acre. The crops or
these parcels looking fine, healthy, and
good, producing excellent wheat, car
rets, cabbage, potatoes, and other veg
etables IN abundance. The question
then was, how was this done? On tn.
outside of the cottage lots, all was bar
zen. It could not be from anure fol
the cottagers had none, but what the
scrsped up in the roads. The fact was
the whole magic lay in the spade b!
which the land was broke up eighteen
inches deep. As TO digging up five hun
-