Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-02
How Deep should we pIow.

This depends, fl st, upon the richness of the
soil, second upon the depth tO which it has been
prev. .ousy plowed; third, upon the character
and quality Of subsOil; and fourth, pom the
crop which is to be planted.
If the soil be sufficiently rich, it is best that
at least an inch of the sole beneath should be
upturned to the atmosphere, at each successive
| blowing, and exposed to the action OF the ele>
inents. 1t the land has been what is called "run"
pretty hard, and the farmer hasno manure with
W .iea to re .tlre the exhausted constituents of
the soil, it can hardly be said to b. best to plow
deeper than the previous cplturist of the same
| fields have done. But as soon as suitable
simulants to vegetation can be applied, we
would advise the gradual deepening of the
culture, until from nine to twelve inches beN
comes the habitual thickness of the overturned
furrOw.
Ifthe subsoil be gravelly and light, there is
not as great call for deep working as other.
wise, nor is the use of a subsoil plow as much
demanded. But soil, no matter ofwhat charac>
ter, lying upon a fat, level subsoil of hardpan
clay, needs to be made of good depth, either
| by upturaing, or by gradual encroachment
upon the undertaking clay. The subsoil plow
should also follow the other plow, and thorough
| ly loosen the brick like substratum upon which
the furrow rests.
The deeper we plow, the farther down we
bury the seeds of noxiOus weeds, which have
often gathered upon the surface about to be
overturned. The more we allow the air to
circulate among the loosened of the soil, the
better is the drainage in wet seasoJ, and the
more perfect the irrigation in adry summer
By allowing the air to permeate freely the tex
ture of the soil, we also bring into contac, with
its constituents the carbonie acid in the air, the
ammonia of the atmosphere, the nitrogen and
elements which the soil needs to MAINTAIN its
integrity, and support the crops we plant upon
it. This deeper plOwing enables the roots Of
| the plants to penetrate far deeper, while the
| loos ening gives them wider range; and Wheths
/ eI it be food or moisture which they seek, they
are far more certain to be fully supplied. In
seasons of excessive rain, the shallow plOwed
! field, where the earth has only been lOOsened to
the depth of four or five inches. are easily sats
uIated with water, causing the death, or at any
rate, the very siekly appearance Of the crop;
while the deeply stirred land has permitted the
penetration of the fluids to the depth Of many
inches, washing down richness and nourishment
the deepest roots, and, while all the land has a
sufficieny of moisture, compelling upon none a
greater than proper amount Of wetness.
Root crops require more thorough uptum-
ing of the soil than the almost universally cul>
tivated Indian corn We think that the raising
of this purely American product has exeIted
an injurious influence upon the agriculture Of
this country. Farmers can, by merely scratch
\ ing the surface their land (say not more
than five inches deep,) raise under most circum
stances, excellent crops Of maize, especially
upon newly cleared soils. This eass Of culti-
walton has led our agriculturists to slackness
in the preparation of the land for all other
crops, until shallow blowing has almost become
the rule instead of the exception. In the older
country of Europe, where land is more valuable
and labor 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 far deeper than with
us, and, as a consequence, crops are both suTer
and larger. Root crops are raised which would
challenge admiration at any of our State Fairs,
and grain produced in quantities unprecedented
on any of our shallow-plowed and carelessly
cultivated fields
Let US, as speedily as possible, emulate our
( European cousins, in their careful application
of manures; in their use of every foot of sur
face, lcavin5 none for weeds OF fence corners;
and in their depth Of cultuTe-fuTnishing to
the growing crops land that drinks water Of
the rain of Heaven, so that neither more or less
than they desire Of the soaking moisture, of
the fruitful showers and tie rain from Heaven,
shall be supplied TO the absorbing rootle.s Of
the growing crops Gehessee FaGmer.