The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-03-10

TcdCil VI iIlDSt VI our llTtneTS, ana VIII, alone,
be of almost incaleulablo benefit. An emf
nent agricultural writer says he has seen, ''in
the rich, compact, deltal lands Of Louisiana
and elsewhere, the soil made loose, elastic,
and pliable, throughout the whole field, by
runninga lar sc sub-soil plow to its utmost
depth, at adistance of four feet between the
burrows. The entir. mass of soil seemed to be
thoroughly worked (lnclowed) to the depth
which the pillow reached, although run at
these comparatively remote distances When
all the circumstances are favorable to the use
of the subsoil pillow, an increase in the crop OF
twenty or thirty, apdcven fifty per cent. has
been attributed to its operations" 3 III
"a sub-soil which is permcable by water,
is sometimes imperceptibly beneficial to veg
citation, not only by allowing the latent mois-
ture to ascend aud yield necessary supply
to the plants; but frequently a moisture
chargsl with lin, and various other salts,
which the capillary attraction brings from re-
mote depths below the surface. This opera.
ton is rapidly going forward during the heat
Of summer" It will be seen, therefore, that
sub-soiling is capable of ben.ittiny our soils
in both vicisstudes to which we are liable
extreme wet weather and drouth. Nearly
all our stiff soils are precisely of a character
most likely to be benefited by sub-soil plow-
ing and draining When these soils are inn
proved as they will be, by undertaking
and sub-soiling, the principal difficulty will
be removed, in the way of success in
FRUIT GROWING
A most potent cause of encouragement
among US has been the failure OF fruit
There are, no doubt, more serious difficulties
in the way of success in this branch of farm
ins than any other; and yet apprehend that
very little has been done in fruit growing as
it should be done. There are countries so
naturally adapted to fruit that it is only nec-
essary to put a tree in the ground to have it
flourish and bear fruit; but this country is
not one Of that sort, as presum, all are con-
WINGED who have tried it. ....f ..
For orchards, especially the prairies, gem
orally need draining. Their conpa ctnc.s,
their extremely fine PARTICLES retain large
amount IF moisture, and give to all egetable
growth softer texture tlln the more gray
ely Or sanly soils The miller Is able to tel,
by grinding grain whether it grew on the
prairie or on tim>erel upllnl Prairie grain
grinls easier, makes less -four an of al in
ferior quality.
Cultivation will re luce this Characteristic
the more 50 in proportion as weeds, stubble
straw, cornstalks, AMI coarse manures are
plowcd under AMI incorpora with tn, soil;
but draining anl sub-soiliny are n,,,ssary
to Through preparation Of tn, prairie soil,
for fruit trees, especially. Daring the winter
half Of tn. year tn, ground is saturated with
water; during sun n.r whea the gr)ulI is
dry, trees grow very rapidly, and that rapid
growth is neither conducive to hardness or
fruit bearing. ..-
| woul say, then, select the m It favorable
localities for orcharls-timbered upland, san
dy knobs, or the most sandy slopes. Unless
the soil is naturally porous, underdrain it if
possible; if not, use the sub-soil pl,w-5oth
would be better. The next best thing is to
plow the land into ridges, the width of the
rows of trees, and set the trees on the mid
die Of the ridges, and OH top of the ground or
nearly 50, according to locality, an,l earth W
around them. In cultivating, which should
invariably be done with young orchard, al
ways turn the soil toward the trees, making
the dead furrow midway between the rows.
Some people in this vicinity recommend
planting trees deeply in the soil, and they do
so because Mr.. A. dug well near a tree, and
Mr.. B. a cellar near another, and in throw
ing out the earth, it was piled up more or
less around the trees, and said trees done
much bettertlan any others. The reason is
obvious, although overlooked by the owners.
ThA well and the cellar operated as drains in
carrying off the superintendent moisture of
the soil surrounding the trees, and furnish
es strong argument in favor of draining
Trees have succeeded by setting them or top
of prairie sod and earthing up around them.
Success has been attained on the prairies of
Illinois by ridging in the way have men,
toned.
Varieties should be selected which have
proved hardy in the west. Make them low.
headed trees. Let them limb out to within
two feet Of the ground, in order that the body
of the tree may be protecte by the shade of
the top from the extreme changes-the freez-
ings and thawings of winter. The same
purpose has been accomplished by setting up
a board against the body of the tree extend
ing from the roots to the limbs, and wide
enough to shade the body during the warm
sunny days of winter. Having less expo
sure to the wind Is another advantage in low
headed trees.
Maxi your young trees slow growers, by
shortening in-cutting off the most rapidly
growing shoots as early, at least, as mid-sum-
mer. Promote their growth early in the sea-
son by cultivating in suitable crops. If you
sow your young orchard in grain, clover, or
Hungarian grass, the trees are deprived