Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-02-10
SUBSOIL PLOUGHING.

: State Agricultural Society, at Manchester, Oct. 7,
A 1858.
must plough deeply and thoroughly. The value
Q of a thorough ploughing which shall not only in
l vert but pulverize the soil, Tor leave it in the best
position to be pulverized by the action of frosts,
&c.,l is proved, if proof we need, BY the superior
fertility of the Scioto Valley lands. The difference
to the plant between land badly ~ploughed, so that
the earth is only broken into pieces, and land we'll
pulverized, is as great as is the difference to you,
between funds lodged in a bank, payable on de-
mand, and money locked up in a Court of Chan
Gerry, subject to the chances of litigation, and await
ing a final decree.
The advantage of deep ploughing, Except in
cases where the Subsoil is grayelly or deleterious
in its nature, and the like is generally acknow-
lodged by almost all farmers. Yet how very few
practice it | am inclined to think that the aver.
D age depth of ploughing in New England will not
exceed six inches and | am afraid that many and
many Il plough has never smelled the soil four
inches below the surface.
Our agricultural societies are not altogether
blaneless for this state of things. Not that they
caused it, for it is the old grandpa" doctrine but
by the regulations of their p~loughing matches they
have done what was in their power to encourage
deep ploughing. Nevertheless, we trace back to
the institution of ploughing matches, as q part of
our agricultural exhibitions, the Improvement that
is evident in the general ploughing throughout the
country. Allowed, that the implements used are
superior to those formerly employed yet this alone
will not account for the better quality of the
ploughing, for we all know that the best imple-
ments make poor work in unskilliul hands. 1t is
the emulation excited among the workmen by the
premiums, and by the presence of an approaching
crowd of observers, and the instruction obtained
by inspecting these best specimens of work, that
has raised the standard Of ploughmanship among
US.
As the object of thorough ploughing is to enable
the roots of plants to obtain the nourishment that
IS in the soil, so the object of deep ploughing is to
permit free passage to the roots in search of food,
as well as to open up new stores. The roots of
plants descend to a greater distance than one would
readily credit. Let us take the fiat turnip, one of
the most superficial growers on the list of plants.
yet its roots have been found to ID descend to a depth
of more than five feet.
1t is a good practice to turn up with a surface
plough about one half inch, or rather more, of the
subsoil, at every ploughing. The roots feed below
the surface, so that inert soil thus brought to the
top will do no injury, while it is soon rendered
fertile by the operation Of the air and the effect of
the manure, and its place beneath is more than sup
Piled by the buried loan, with which it has been
made to exchange locations. The subsoil plough fol-
lowing in the same furrow, disintegrates the COM
pact earth to a further depth of fromtsix to eighteen
Inches, and without subyerting it, renders it per-
meable to air and water, and penetrable to the pio-
Ineer roots of plants.
Farmers were formerly afraid to plough deeply,
lest their manures should leach through but the
cleaning of one b%arn-yard ought sufficiently to con-
vince the most ~skeptical, that even liquid manures
do not leach far.
John r.. French, Esq, of Biddeford, Maine, and
formerly of Plymouth, Mass, also spoke on the
same occasion, and in the course of his remarks
related the following, which may show how the
practice of subsoil ploughing is regarded by some
r farmers in New Hampshire, and perhaps in Massa-
chusetts.
Mr.. French once cultivated an excellent farm in
/. one of the fruitful and beautiful valleys of Grafton
county, n. II. Though destitute of all experience
in agricultural labors, said he, yet | knew enough
to be aware of the Importance of good tools; so |
took along with me a subsoil plough. 1t was the
first seen in that locality. One day, with the subsoil
plough and a pair of good horses, l was at work
in my field, when an old farmer of the neigh
%borhood, as honest an old man as the earth bears
up, favored me with his company. Taking his no
lsition where he could overlook all my operations,
he allowed me to go round the piece a number of
times before any other words than the customary
salutation were exchanged. After quite q while,
with q voice tremulous with disgust and anger, nv
old friend exclaimed, rather than asked, French.
what do you call that thing !" a%ffxing a wicked
4 adjective to his noun. With due modesty | told
him the name and object of the plough. "Well
if ever you lay such a looking thing as that upon
4 any land belonging to me, III prosecute you
, SubSoa plough! l tell you what it is, French, |
c don't get half the crops from my intervals that nv
father or grandfather did, and they never used any
e but wooden ploughs, and | have come to the con
= icluSlOh III tHere is something IN these iron
| ploughs that pizens the land" And away went
4 my friend, with his new idea, across lots, and actu-
ally stopped all ploughing operations upon his
t farm, until he had succeeded with his broad-axe in
hewing out a UoOdea plough, as much after the
t fashion of his grandfather's as he was able to re-
: member, and with that completed his p~longhing for
the season.
Mr.. Moses Stebbins, of Hampshire county. in
making his statement to the Committee who ex-
amined farms entered for premiums, says,-"l
have p~racticed ploughing deep, and do so now, but
in a different way from my former practice. now
pillow in manure four or five inches deep then sub,
soil as deep as 1 can run a subsoil plough. / pre-
fer this to running deep, in order to tarn up the
subsoil."
Mr.. Leonard Hill. of Plymouth, says: 81 enter
my claim for a premium on an acre of Indian corn,
and for subsoiling half Of the same. The land is a
deep clayey soil, with a hard pan beneath, mixed
with gravel. On the l4th of May | p~loughed one
half with a heavy plough seven inches deep, follow
ing with a subsoil plough seven inches deeper"
The other half was ploughed eight inches deep,
narrowed, and then furrowed for rows three feet
apart, and MANFRED in the hill with compost. The
hoeing and general treatment Of the whoie was
alike, and done at the same time. The result is
, as follows:
"Oct. Goth, harvested and weighed the crop
produced from the subsoiled part, and ascertained
that 60 be 81 1895 bushels, and also that from the
part not snbsoiled to be As 57-S5 bushels"
n RULE FOR YeUNG HoUsEKEEPERs.-The smallest
possible waste, without p~inehing.
Moderation is the silken string running through
the pearl chain of all virtues.
WHEAT in California has been grown at the rate of
~sixty-six and two thirds bushels, of G0,pounds, per
, acre. That is more than three times the ayerages Of
the Atlantic States, and higher than we have ever
know grow upon the best wheat fields of the old
States, or fertile lands of the Western praries.
4 -
One hundred and twenty-five citizens Of Marsh
field, Mr. Wehster's old residence, have petitioned
the Massachusetts, Legislature, for the removal of
Edward c.. Loring, Judge of Probate Of Boston,
who sent the fugitive Burns back into slavery.