The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-11-14
DEEP TILLAGE.

Deep plnwing turns the drought itself to
good account, aud renders mulching and ir-
rigation comparatively needless, or, If used,
more eflicacious. During dry spell and in
trcnched ground, roots strike dceperin search
Of food and moisture. become more exten.
siyely ramified, and sooner find the rich loan
and manure intermingied deeply with the soil.
The Teaching process, as it is called, is re-
yersed, and takes place upwards more than
at any other time, or, IN some scientific
phrase, capillary attraction is increased =
As each particle Of moisture is eyapOrated
from the surface. il is succeeded by another,
and the whole soil is filled with the ascending
moisture and gases, which are appropriated
by the numerous rootlets as they have need.
The wet season is also blessing To tile
deep cultivator. The more ram, the more
heat, ammonia, carbonic acid and other or
ganic elements are left in the soil as il de-
scends. As each drop filters through, it is
succeeded by another, or 6g air, both essen.
tial to vegetation; and to dissolve, act on or
combine with the inorganic elements Of the
soil. As the water drains oil, air is sure to
follow, and this is the proper mode Of It's cir
culation. Each is also generally at higher
temperature than the undrained land, aud
the warmth Of the under soil is therefore rel
atively increased. The farmer often objects
to this waste 0f water, and would retain il
for dry time The trenched and porous
soil holds water like a sponge, notwithstand-
ing the drainage. Ii retains or can command
enough for the wants of vegetation. But let
us see the operation on the undrained land.
The farmer often speaks Of his ''cold, wet
land" No variety Of soil, in any location,
is Of itself coler than another. The very
water, which trenching, draining, &C., al
luws to pass of,iaiter imparting ITS virtues
i 10 the suil, il retained on or nearthe surface
by hard, imperyious subsoil, becomes itself,
by its change, the source Of the GOODNESS com
! planned Of, Instead of running oifit evapo-
rates, and by this process abstracts great
quantity Of heat from the soil and surround
ing atmosphere. The evaporation Of pound
Of water requires about 1000 degrees ofheat
some authors stating II at less and others
more or il reduces one hundred pounds Of
air Is degrees. This is reversing the expe-
riment Of Professor Johnson, in Espy's ''Bouk
Of Storms" where he says, "a pound Of
,apor, condensed to water would heat one
hundred pounds Of air about S. degrees -
The ground, to n considerable depth, is war
mer by many degrees, where the rain is
drained oil, instead Of being allowed to ac-
cumnIate and cyapora,c. Hence this enor.
nous loss Of valuable stimulus TO vegetation
Tie chilling aud deadly process 81 eyap.
GRAFTON is going on to excess IRON the time
frost cuncs out ur tie ground IN the spring
till freezing again occurs. At this period, the
undraned land having the most water I,
Z freeze, becomes the warmcst, say in Decem
, her, when nf no value in vegetation, but IA
thcr an injury. For once, Iorsootl, the un.
drained lanh is warmer than the drained
Hut lnr this excess Of heat III winter, TIL.
kind Of land must pay dearly IN the early
spring. How il all this: inquiries the FAR
mer. Simply because water IN Cnngealin!
10 either ice o. SHOW, has its capacity 90
heat lrssencd about one.ninth, aud this cx'
cess i given oil to surrounding bnlies or
in other words, its latent heat is set Iree.-
On the other baud, ice or frost, as il is call
cd, III tie ground, III melting. demands hacl
this same heat at the rate Of from one eight
Ii one.ninti II 600 degrees Tor every puun,
melted: and under the surface il does nO
obtain an this directly from the sun, hu
through the soil therefore the more water III,
. colder aud longer cold will be The land in tn
. spriug.
: Now. lei the agriculturist 20 10 worl
! aud make this "cnld, wet, heavy land" d
/, his, the very best he has for any product
i Dr. Rtiiy.