Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1855-12-14
LOWING WITH THE aELEaRNTs. .


formance of these operations.
OF the millions who follow the rinw in
its uneading furrow from their boyhood's
days, when they can scarcely reach up 10
the handles, and steady the share with ther
youthful bat muscular arms, until they lie
down beneath the clods they haze so often
turned, how few comparatively know more
OF the rationale of piowing than th. brute
seuii-reasorers that drag III. implement
along. The latter know irom experience
that BY meekly submitting to the yoke they
avoid lhe good OF the whip the former, with
little more exercise OF their reasoning
faculties, know by erpef;sr---, also, that they
can avoid tue goad of starvation by breaking
Up the soil With some such implement
called plow---as father used The sdmis-
sion OF air loaded with for food for the COM
ing crop, the disintogration of the earthly
particles and the unlocking Of the hidden
elements, the preparation Of o suitable sed
or nest Tor the tender rcotlets, the proper
admixture of the upper vegetable mold with
the mineral stones undernesth, The Superior
value of root shelter deep down below the
scorching rays Of the sun, the destruction
OF poisonous compounds, existing in the
native soil by the admission of air, the be-
nehcial eject Of disintegrating frosts upon
ground deeply plowed in Autumn-these
and many other similar questions Of iRpor-
'ance, iu themselves deeply interesting, are
not those which usually occupy the thoughts
of the mass ofagricultursl laborers. These
various topics, connected with the single
operation of plowinq, are each worthy of
chapter longer than the limits OF neTsps-
PER article. We viii now refer briefly "a a
single one fthem as being appropriate 10
the season, viz:
FALL FLOWING FOR SPRING CROPS.
The general experience of farmers has
provided that these is decided advantage
resulting from breaking up The soil deeply
IN Autumn for most Of the spring crops, and
this process. developed by and founded
upon experience, is sustained by intelligent
theory.
There are few soils worth cuitivating at
all which do not contain more or less of
materials that can I've rendered available for
by ths combined action of air and FROST
All our spil: we're originally derived frou
rocks Which have been bloten up Rud worn
down by Goods, bv the alternate expansion
and contraction of heat and cold, aud the
chemical action Of the air Of gases mingled
with it. Upon the sarface, long con,inn-
snce of these agencies has reduced portion
otthe soil to finely divided state, while
below the reach Of frost the pqrticles re-
main in the course of foe state in which
tacy we're originally deposited by the aoods
which nacc swept over the snrface, and
deposited them in their present position
1he action Of trost usually extends but
few inches below tie surface. and il is ST
object for the cnisirator to 30 break un and
arrange the surface rs TO extend their
action as deeply as possible.
We know a gardener, residing near
town. who devotes his whole time and labor
~ single acre of ground, and he raises for
the market from this limited space fully
enough 20 sustain a large f4mily in coiDforta-
bic circumstances, besides ''iaying mp" a
little every year. lie plots it into bieh, !
narrow ridges every Autumn, and let !, be
thus Till Spring. These ridges are from i
three 10 four feet high, when first thrown, !
and are rs narrow as they we'll can be made |
The appearance o. section of the surface
after he completion of the ridging IS some
what like tho following:
AAAAAA
During Winter the side crumbles down !
so as 10 partly ell up the Intervening hol-
lows. but the ridges are s,ill elevated tive
or more feet at tbs close OF Winter.
We can readily perceive the effects OF
such an arrangement Owing TO the nlr-
rowness Of the ridges the fr1st penetrates
10 the centre CT each, while in the bottom
OF the furFows it goes down as deeply as 1t
would have done from the u1diSturbed sar-
face, AM bJ t;i means TIE yhale soi! un- /
derEoes the freeing process 10 taa ieo,b |
Of nearly three fset. 1t is thus nel.owed /
and iittei for the reception Of tb, roats Of /
future crops. The ar is admitted 70 chat |
depth, and oxydi1.s Or destroys tae poison
Gus compounds that abound in oil sois not /
subjected to its action.
The air also circaiates freely ,Arcu1h the !
ridges, and deposits is rich ssJres ii am /
iaonia and otaer nutritious gases. The |
supplies of organic rlaat-tood from shis /
source saves from one-forth 4, une-third Of |
the manure that wanli Otherwise bs reauir-
ed.
The ground is much sooner freed from !
water in the Spring, aud quickly warned
up by the vernal sun, 50 tEat spring plan
ting and sowing can be commeaoed several !
days sooner than on Cat land, as is abua- |
dandy proved BY the fact that tho ealtjva-
Tor OF the above garden ~ always 6rss 10 |
market with potatoes, tomatoes, peas and |
ether vegetables.
The surface is readily lovsllcd il tie
Spring by runnings double farrow through !
the centre Of the ridges, aai after wards
going over them with harrow.
10 the instance above given, the rilying
is commenced with pI6w and o7mpIetei |
with spade. But the process is appiica-
bic 10 limited degras ever larg feli, with
the use Of the plow onlv. A double moaid- |
board plow-one turaing furrov both |
vays-is convenieot Implement for he
operation. With a strong team sach |
piow can be run deeply through the ground |
ut intervals Of two or tive and hall feet, |
which will leave succession os deep fur |
rows and narrow ridges 0n heavy, eIsyey
soils, 1t would be desirable 10 ruu the same