Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-09-29
farmers Department.
Fall Flowing.

Fan Flowing
"What is your opinion in regard to fall
blowing ?" asks an esteemed correspondent -
IL have field | intend planting to cora
WouId it be tetter to plow il this fall, and The!
cultivate it before planting, or to let 1t lie %
it is all winter and break it up in the spgilg 2
If an old sod, or rather heavy soil, we shouIC
certainly prefer to plow it in the fall, unless il
is low and wet. If a young healthy cIoycl
sod, on light soil, it might be better TO let il
lie as il is all winter, and not plow it till ins
before planting The clover would be severa
inches high, and when turned under in The
spring would help to enrich the land and il
is said that the grubs will feast on the clover
and leave the corn plants unmoleStcd
The great error in fall blowing is in not plOw
ing early enough 1t should be done immed
atey after the wheat sowing is finished. The
teams can be spared then as we'll as later =
Flowing late in the fall when the ground is
cold and sodden, is of questionable benefit. An
experienced farmer in England once pointed
out to us portion of a field of tnrnpS that
looked much superior to the turnpS adjoining
On inquiring the resOn for this difference, he
said that both portions had been treated alike
except that the part which looked the best
had not been "pin-fallowed "-fallp pIowcd.-
The fact turned out to be that the land was
not plowed till December when it was toe
wet and the next spring it was raw and
lumpy whereas the other portion turned uT
fresh and mellow The fact is lot one which
initiates against the practice Of fall-plowng
but against plowing land when it is too wet
We recollect of seeing piece of low wet
ground, near this city, plowed late in the fall
1t was tough sod, and was turned over in
wide, fiat furrows. During the winter it pre-
sented an almost unbroken sheet of ice, and in
the spring was so wet and raw that it was with
difficulty got ready for planting. Such fall
ploWing is not to be commended. Had it been
plowed early, and in narrow and high ridges
and the dead-furrowS cleaned out, and q few
surface bitches cut, so that the water could
have passed off, the result would have been
different.
Some good farmers in this vicinity plow
their corn land in the fall, and then SOW it to
barley in the spring without plowing again
One of the advantages of this plan is that the
barley can be Sown earlier, and a portion of
the work which otherwise would have to be
done during the busy season in spring, is done
in the comparatively leisure season in the fall
F. HoIBRooK, Esq, Of Brattlcboro' Vt,
makes the following judcicus remarks on this
subject in the Net0 England Farmer for 1858
which are worthy of reproduction at this time
He says:
"From the last of October to the middle or
later of November is good time for plowiug
it preparatory to sowing or planting it
the following spring The autumnal weath-
er is cool and bracing, and the oxen and horses
CTR nd for t,o J, l., l.,
temperature of the spring season is more re-
laxing, and the animals of draught are then
apt to become laggard and faint -partcularly
at the business of overturning grecn-sward.-
To be seasonable, spring work must at best be
despatched in a great hurry and it is relief and
advantage to have the plowng done in the
fall. If land in cornstuble is first well harrow,
ed so as to pull open, and level down the hills
and scatter the StubbS about, then pl0wcd in
the fall the stubble, lying beneath the furrows
through the winter, will not be apt to come to
the surface by narrowing in the spring the
grain and grass seeds can lie committed to the
already prepared ground, at the earliest suita-
BILE day in the spring the surface of the newly
stocked land will be smooth, the seeds equally
distributed in narrowing, the crop Of grain will
be early and thereby luXuriant, and the young
grass, having the benefit of the earjy rains, will
get good root, be more likely to survive the
heat and drought Of summer, yielding a full
bite of aftermath in the fall, and good succeed
ing crops of hay. Sod land plowcd in November
will be free from growing grass iR the spring,
the roots of the late overturned Sward being
too far deadened by tire Immediately succeed
ing winter to spring very rapidly to the sur
face. The plowed land, after being subjected
to the frost of winter will readily diSintegrate
and crumble down in fine particles when bar
rowed in the spring, yielding a mellow seed
bed and facilitating the business of planting
and the first hoeing, and the manure applied
can be readily and nicely mingled with the
kindly soil. Corn planted on sod furrows turn
ed the fall previous, will not be so liable to in
jury from the copper-heads or cut-worms which
eat off the young stalk at the surface of the
ground, as though the land had been plowed in
spring. So great heretofore have been the
depredations of these worms on my young corn
when planted on the sandy lntervales which
we're broken up from grass in the spring, that
now the meadow land which is to be made
ready for a corn crop, is iSinvariably plowed late
IN the fall. BY means Of this precauiton the
ravages of the worms have been pretty much
prevented, but few hills of corn being entirely
destroyed, indeed, in passing through seven
acres of corn to-day, vacant hills were not dis
covered, though looked for, and | think there
Gao not be enough loss of crop from this cause
70 be Of much account"