Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-08
Agricultural.
THE FARMER.


''What is your opinion in regard to fall
blowing ~ asks an esteemed correspondent.
III have field intend planting in corn.
Would it be better to pillow it this fall, and
then cultivate it before planting, or 10 let it
lie as it is all winter and break it up in the
springW
If an old sod, on rather heavy soil, we
should certainly prefer to pillow II in the fall,
unless it is low and wet. If young, healthy
clover sod, on light soil, it might be better to
let Il lie as IL is all winter, and not plow it
till Just before planting The clover would
be several inches high. and when turned
under in the spring woud help 10 enrich the
land and IL il said that the grubs will feast
on the clover and leave the corn plants UNI
molested
The great error in fall blowing il in not
blowing early enough. 1t should be done
Immediately after the wheat sowingis finished.
Tho teams can be spared then as well as later.
Flowing late in the fall, when the ground is
cold and sodden, ia OF questionable benefit.
An experienced farmer in England once point |
cd out to us \ portion of n field ofturnips that |
looked much superior TO the turnips adj
Joining. On inquiring the reason for this dit |
ference, he said that both portions had been
treated alike, except that the part which look
ed the best had not been n-fallowed''-l
fal-plowed. The fact turned out to be that
the land was not plowed till December, when
il was too wet; and the next spring it was raw
and lumpy whereas the other portion turned
IN fresh and mellow. The fact is not one
which initiates against the practice of fall
blowing, but against blowing land when it is
too wet.
We recollect OF seeing place Of low wet
ground, near this city, plowed late in the
fall. It was a tough sod, and wasturned over
in wide Hat burrows. During the winter II
presented 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 blowing is not to be commended. Had it
been plowed early, and in narrow and high
ridges and the dead-furrows cleaned out and
n few surface bitches cut, so that the water
could have passed of, the result would have
been far different.
Some good farmers in this vicinity pillow
their corn land in the fall, and then SOW it to
barley in the spring without blowing again.
One of the advantages of this plan is that the
barley can be sown earlier, and 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.
+. HoLBRooK, Esq, Of Battleboro', VT,
makes the following ;'ldicious remarks on
this subject in the Ne,. England Farmer for
1858, which are worthy of reproduction at
this time. He says
From the last If October to the latter part
OF November is :. good time for blowing land
preparatory to sowing or planting it the fol
lowing spring. The autumnal weather is cool
and bracing, and the oxen and horses are
strong and hearty for the work while the
temperature of the spring season is more re-
laxing, and the animals of draught are then
apt to become laggard and faint, particularly
at the business of overturning green sward.
To be seasonable, spring work must at hest
be despatched in great hurry, and it is u relief
and advantage to have the blowing done in
the fall. lfland in con-stubble is first well
narrowed, 50 rs to pull open, and level down
the hills and scatter the Stubs about, then
plowed in the fall the stubble, lying beneath
the burrows through the winter, will not he
apt to come to the surface by narrowing in
the spring; the grain and grass seeds can he
committed to the already prepared ground at
the earliest suitable day III the spring. the
rurface Of the newly-stocked land will he
.mcoth, the seeds equally distributed in har-
rowing, the crop of grain will be early and
thereby luxuriant. and the younggrass, having
the benefit Of the farlg rains, will get good
root, be more likely to survive the heat and
draught Of summer, yielding full bite of
aftermath in the fall, and good succeeding
crops of hay. Scotland plowed in November,
will he free from growing grass in the spring.
the roots Of the late overturned swald being
too far deadcned by the Immediately s1e-
ceeding winter to spring very readily to the
surface Thcp lowed land, after being sub
jected to The frost Of winter, will readily dis
intergrate and crumble down in fine particles
when narrowed in the spring, yielding
mellow seedbed and facilitating the business
of planting aud the first hoeing, and the
manure applied can be readily and nicely
mingled with the kindly soil. Corn planted
on sod burrows turned the fall previous, will
not be SO liable to iniure from the copper-heads
or cut-worms which eat of the young stock
at the surface Of The ground as though the
land had been plowed in spring. So great
heretofore have the depredations OF these
worms been on my youngcorn, whenplantedo ON
the sandy intervaes which were broken up
from grass in the spring, that now the meadow
land which is to be made ready for a crop is
invariably plowed late in the fall. BY means
Of this precauton the ravages Of the worms
have been pretty much prevented but few
hills Of corn being entirely destroyed, indeed
in passing through seven acres ofcorn to-day,
vacant hillswere undiscovered, thoguh looked
for and think there can not be enough loss
Of crop from the cause to be of much ac-
count"