The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-10-24
BALTIMORE.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER "a, 1860

ductmg in his parish of Lois Weldon, series of
experiments test the capacity of certain soils of
moderate fertility TO produce annually heavy crops
OF wheat without the use of manure. The success
which has thus far attended the Lois Weldon sys-
TEN of husbandry has, from time to time, been
briefly noticed in the English papers, but until
Gently has failed TO attract much public attention.
At length, however, the more influential of the
public journals are discussing the matter with
considerable animation, and point to the unvary-
ing results of Mr. SMITH S experiments as demon
srating, almost beyond cavil, the soundness of his
theory Of cultivation. What that theory is, and
to what extent it may be found applicable to farm
ing operations in this country, we shall presently
proceed to show. The soil at Lois Weldon is
heavy compact clay. Under the plough, except
in very favorable seasons, it breaks up in tough
clods and rarely presents, even after frequent
narrowing and rolling, more than q few
inches of well-pulverzed surface soil, which
answers well enough for a seed bed, but offers
strong resistance to the expansion of the root fbres
of the plant from the imperfect disintegration of
the underlying soil. Under such circumstances
the crops of cereals that grown upon the Lois
Weldon clays were of the most meagre and unsat-
is&cory kind, Notwithstanding analysis had fire.
quently shown that such soils rich in all the
elements of fertility. Starting with the idea that
it only needed thorough tllage to develop to their
fullest extent the latent properties contained within
the soil, Mr.. SMITH conceived it possible, by dis
carding the use of the plough altogether, and
adopting spade husbandry in its stead to raise the
product of those neglected clays to an equality
A., I
because more easily worked. But his theory did
not stop at this point. He determined to ascer-
tain whether it practicable TO grow wheat
on the same field, year after year, without
any depreciation Of the crop either in
quality or quantity. The system of farming
as generally practced, as most Of our readers well
know, is TO plough the land carefully, and after
the soil has been pulverized as completely as it is
possible for the harrow TO effect that object, to
the grain either broadcast-after which the har-
row is again passed over the field, and among the
best farmers is succeeded by the roler-or to drill
it in, and so leave it for The winter. In the lat
ter case, the action of the frost breaks down the
fine ridges left by the drill, and not only assists in
puverizing the surface soil, but also aids mate
rally, by the filing up of the burrows from the
gradual crumbling away of the ridges TO furnish
the growing plants with additional supplies Of
food. Such is the usual system; but it comprises
Also as an essential adjunct, regular rotation of
crops-the gran-bearing plants being alternated
with the ClOvers and grasses, and TO some extent
with roots and tubers. Mr.. SMITH, in cultivating
his Lois Weldon lands rejects the Of the plough,
the harrow and the roller, and has also aban-
al, -.
more remarkable STILL he has grown upon one-half
of each acre of his land, year after year, without
intermission and without fertilizers of any kind
from thiry-six to forty hushss of wheat-the other
half of each acre being left fallow. Our readers
will understand from what we have already stated
that the basis of the Lois Weldon system is spade
husbandry. 1t aims at doing that, upon large
SCALE which has heretofore been pracced only in
garden culture Wheat is the only crop which
has been grown upon the space allotted to the ex-
pertinent during the whole period we have men,
toned, and every set apart for its cultivation
has been annually spaded over, the sub-soi being
deepened by degrees at each return of the planting
season. Every clod, in the process of digging the
land, IS broken up and pulverized, and when the
work is finally completed the entire field presents
mass Of soil of depth of from fifteen to eighteen
inches, completely commnued throughout, aud of
in the very best condition for WELDING its
mineral constituents to the young plants, and Of
lering 10 obstacles whatever to the ramifcation of
their roots. The wheat is seeded in triple rows a
foot apart alternate strips of three feet in width
being left fallow. Upon the fallows of one season
the crop fhe succeeding year is grown and in this
ma tbn cult yatio has Cd
after year, the yield per acre never having fallen
off in any one season, but having, in point of
fact been increased with the gradual deepening of
the sub-soil. By seeding the wheat in rows,
foot apart the plants have abundance of room to
filler or spread, which it is claimed that they do
so luxuriantly as to fill up the intervals; whilst
the quality of the straw thus grown is only
equaed by the excellence of the grain. In addition
to the careful preparation we have described,
the soil between the rows is kept light by
the use Of the hoe, and handwriting is also
practised. We have entered somewhat minute
ly into the details of the mode o. culture
adopted at Lois Weldon, because there are some
English Journalists who hold that it is destined
to work n radical revolution in the existing
system of agriculture, and who also intimate that
soils of Indifferent quality may be so improved by
subjecting them 10 the process adopted byMr SMITH,
that the application of fertilizers may be done
away with altogether. The London Daily Neacs
whilst calling attention 10 the results Of the Lois
Weldon experime nts, takes occasion TO admon
ish the English farmers that they are throwing
away millions Of money annually in the purchase
of commercial manures, which for the most
part unnecessary. Several other journals equal
ly influential express similar opinion, and some
of them, reviving in Il modified form the old the
DRY of JETHRo TULL, assert that the soil and the at
mosphere combined are capable under proper sys-
tenn of tllage, of furnishing to plants all the ertz
ing elements they require. 1t is strange error into
which they have fallen and we venture the more
readily upon its refutation because our farmers are
accustomed TO place a high estimate upon the
opinions expressed agricultural subjects by
English writers. The chief merit of the Lois
Weldon system consists in the substitution of
spade husbandry for the more imperfect operations
Of the plough 1t is, as we have said, garden
culture large scale. So far, then, as tho
rough tillage can have any effect in increasing the
yield of the crop, the system introduced and prac-
tised by Mr.. SMITH is excellent. But When it is
claimed that where the soil is dug over and pull
verified to the depth of foot or foot and half
the application of fertilizers is not at all necessary
aud that the extra expense of labor is more than
compensated by the economy Of manures, the fall
lacy becomes dangerous one. All soils not abso-
lutely barren contain certain constituents, more or
less soluble, which afford nutriment to grow
ing plants but even in the most fertile soils
there must be a limit to their nutritive sub
stances, or th9 same land would grow crops
year after year without showing any symptoms of
exhaustion. These clements of fertility are most
abundant, or at least most soluble in the surface
soil. They are also TO be found in certain kinds
of sub-sols but from the close compact texture of
the latter the roots of plants very rarely have the
strength to strike into them If however, by the
of the spade of the subsoil plough, they are
broken up and rendered mellow, they furnish an
additional supply of plant food TO that which is
contained in the surface soi-whch food becomes
gradually soluble when it is placed in posi-
ton to be acted upon by atmospheric infu-
ences. Tie Lois Weldon system any other
system which calls for deep culture and complete
disinegration of the SOIL reduces and brings into
use all the nuritve elements that the soil contains
More than this it cannot do. The mineral ele-