M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-03-08
Aaitultural.
How DeeD Should we PIow!

uCbo W NbN cblIg oNNS'N - w ~ -
to which it has been previously piOw'
ed; third, upon the character and
quality of the suhsoil; and fourth, up.
on the crop which is to be planted,
Ii the soil be Sufficiently rich, it is
best that at least an nch of the sol
beneath should he upiurned To- the at
mosphcre, at each successive blowing,
and exposed to'the action OF the elr-
ments. If the land has been what is
called "run" pretty hard, and the
farmer has no manure with which tn
restore the exhausted constituents Of
the soil, it can hardly be said to Je
best to plow deeper than the previous
culturists of the same fields have done
But, as soon as suitable stmulants to
vegetation can he applied, we would
advise the gradual deepening Of the
culture, until from nine to twelve
inches becomes the hahitual thickness
ofthe ov, + urned iurruw.
II the subsolI be grayelly anG light,
there is not as great call Tor deep
working as otherwise. noI is the use
ofa subsoil plOw rs much demanded
But soil, no matter OF what character,
lying upon fiat, level suhsoil Of hard.
pan clay, needs to be made Of good
depth, either by its own upturning, or
by a gradual encroachment upon the
underlying clay. The suhsoil plough
should also follow the other plow, and
thoroughly loosen the brick.like sub
stratum upon which the iurrow rests.
The deeper we plough, the further
down we bury the seeds Of noxIous
weeds, which have often gathered
upon the surface about to be over.
turned. The more we allow the air
to circulate among the loosrned par
ticles of the soil, the better is the
drainage in wetseason, and the more
perfect the irrigation in Il dry summer.
by allowing the air to ermeate free
ly the texture ofthe soil, we also bring
into contact with its constituents the
carbonic acid in the air, the ammonia
OF the atmosphere, tho nitrogen and
other elements which the soil needs
to maintain its integrity, and support
the crops We plant upon it. This
deeper blowing enables the roots OF the
plants to penetrate tar deeper, while
the loosening gives them a wider
range; and whether it be food or mols-
ture which they seek, they ale tar
more certain to be fully supplied In
seasons of excessive rain, the shallow
plowed fields, where the earth has on.
ly been loosened to the depth Of four
or five inches, are easily saturated
with water, causing the death, or, at
any rate, the very sckly appearance
of the crop; while the deeply stirred
land has permitted the penetration Of
the fluids to the depth Ofmany inches,
washing down richness ofnouri8hment
70 the very deepest roots, and, while
all the land has sufficiency of mois-
ture, compelling upon none a greater
than q proper amount oil wvtn, IS.
Root crops require a more thorough
upturning Of the soil than the almost
universally cultivated Indian corn.-
We think that the raising OF this pnre
ly American product has cXertcd an
injurious influence upon the agricnl
ture OF this country. Farmers can,
by merely scratching the surface ol
their land (Say, not more than five
inches deep9 raise, under most cir
cumstances, excellent crops OF maizy.
especially upon new y.cleared soils -
This ease Of cultivation has led our
agriculturists to slackness III the prep
aration of the land for all other crops,
until shallow plowing has almost b.
come the rule instead Of the exception
In the older countries OF Europe,
where land is more valuable and la
Dor more plentiful than in our newly
settled hemisphere, they have learned
to improve every foot Of the breadth
of their lands, and also more inches
Of the depth than we dare to mention
Cultivation is tar deeper than with
US, and, as a consequence, crops are
both surer and larger. Root crops
are raised which would challenge al.
miration at any OF our State Fairs,
and grain ploduced in quantities un
precedented OH any Of our shallow
plowed and carelessly cultivated
fields.
Let rs, as speedily as possible, enn
late our European COUSINS, in their
careful application otmanures; IN their
use Of every foot OF surface. leaving
none for weeds or fence corners; aud
in their depth OF cultnre-iurnlohing
to the growing crops a land that
drinks water OF the rain OF Heaven.
80 that neither more nor less than
they desire of the soaking moisture,
OF the fruitful showers and the rain
from Heaven, shall be supplied to the
absorbing rootlets OF the growing
crops. MADISON MONTHAY.
East6urn, Ind.