Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-11-14
FAIL FLOWING.


We have often spoken of the advantages
.ofthiS operation. We have done SO be-
cause it has been our settled conviction, that
on clay soils, especially, i is one Of the
most profitable processes in the whole sys-
tenn of tillage.- Land properly stirred and
pulverised in the fall, IS softened by the win
ter frosts, and its clods become dust in the
spring. If trenches are cut SO that the wa
tire can how of freely, it can be TILED much
earlier in the spring. Vast numbers Of in
seets are destroyed by the cold. Seeds of
weeds, that have germinated in early autu-
mn are disturbed and deS.royed. These
advantages arc sufficient certainly to secure
the proper stirring Of land in the fall, when
either summer fallow is designed the next
year, or the land IS intended for some crop
in theSpring. u,
But there is one advantage which We
haEe not mentiohed-an advantage which,
in addition to all the rest is a very great
one indeed. 1t is this, plowing in the fall
along with other preparations all properly
and 'skiI;fully made, aDili, IN mdany cases,
render ! lol0Uilg IN the SPRING. needless
Many of our readers may be startled at this.
They may even suspect US of attempting to
impose ON the credulity Of the pnbIic, by
such statement Now VIC do not ask
themtoa abe3ieUewhat we have stated at all
at least Just nor. But we do ask them
to consider, for moment, what would be
gained If what we have said could be true,
What in other words, would be gained in
our clay soils, if large part of the springs
ploNihg could be done during the fall pre-
ceding9
The following advantages viii strike any
observant farmerson a moments reflection:
The plowing could be done at a season
when the ground could be thoroughly titled
0itkout injury from the rain. Our clay
soils have a Hticklish temper" In the
spring they are often wet; but the dry
weatherfwhictI occurs almost every fall fur
.nishes full opportunity to do this kind of
work without risk of harm.
A second advantage woald be that the
plowing would be done at time when Ia
Dor IS much less valuable than in the hurry
of spring work. How often has the farmer
on a clay farm, wished Just as his land has
become, dry enough, IN the spring, to begin
plowing, that he could set ten plows in mo-
ton, instead of one, that he might finish his
work before the next storm-which was now
warning him Of its approach-should de-
lay his stirring the soil for two weeks longer.
If all this could be done during the dry
weather, the fan before, when no other
work is pressing it would fiji up time COM
paratively idle, and greatly relieve the
presSiIrp in the spring, when work of all
kinds crowds him very severely.
A third advantage of this fall plowing-
always supposing it would serve the pur-
pose-is, that it would hasteHthe season of
sowing early spring crops, sometimes two
or three, or four weeks Every farmer has |
noticed that bis land, clay land especially !
could be narrowed or stirred with a cultiva- |
tor for seyeral days-sometimes a fortnight
before he would dare to touch it with the |
plow. He has oftened noticed, sometimes
with sickening despondency, that just as
land was dry enough to plow, a great rain.
OF a little rain has fallen 50 that the field,
which should have been sown. to-day, must
lie untouched for weeks to como. We have
known events of this sort to ohappen twice /
orttgice in SUCCESSION, 50 that important
crops baye been DELAYED FIVE or six weeks. |
The difference IN these cases, has been Just |
the differences between success and failure
between having a good crop and having
nonek Now iffall plowing can. IN any i'm
portant crops, take the place of spring plow-
ING, if tha afarnler eonlds0E oeplant as soon
assheJ land vould bsartile barrow, cOr a
cultiyator, in the spring, with the assurance |
of facrop nearly or quito as good as ifthe
plowing were done in the spring, would not
tins be very great advantage? Would it |
not de mach howard making our strong clay
soiIs1sejustiy priced on many accounts--
formidable cdnlpetitors' of the lighter sorts |
In the very particulars in which the latter
aao4 enjoy the pre-eminence2 But one an
-swer can Be given to these questions. We
lautieipatetlIe reply that many of our friends
vii. ni;ske to th9se suppositions. They all
hang on an Ifit will do, there can be
no 5denbt tliat all these advantages would /
result .froli The process. Bat that "Q" is an
important word 1t -ha, proved bomb !
shell, which has exploded the fancios Of I
11aaya tbeoria before. 1t would not be /
stTange if Il were. 10 turn out 50 in the pres
.eIt ess1." We admit all this, dear friends.
Still itaeaH do no harm to hear what more
We kaee 10 say. But VIC have already given
all the space that we can now give to this
snatteg. We shall resume it sOOn.- Ohio
Farmer,
sra .