Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-09-14
Tillage vs.. Manure.

Can thorough tillugc be substituted for ma
nure Old Jethro Tull asserted that it could;
and although the assertion was vehemently
disputed, Jotlro Tull, in his day and genera
ton, had many agricultural disciples who be-
lieved in him and who illustrated their belief
by practising what he taught. At a more re-
cent period, the Rev. Mr.. Smith, of Lois
Weldon, has shown his faith in the correctness
Of the principle, by the annual production o.
large crops of wheat by spade husbandry and
without the use of any manure whatever. 1t
is very singular that men shonld quote excep-
tional cases, rs if they were of general appli-
cation. Jethro Tul was right; his disciples
were right; and Mr.. Smith, of Louis Weldon,
is right. But they are wrong. and totally
wrong, nevertheless, when they seek to adapt
their theory to all cases and manners of soils.
In heavy compact clays and clay loans, such
as Tull worked in, and Smith, of Lois Wee
don continues to spade up with the happiest
results, thorough tillage might we'll supersedo
for quite a number of years, the use of ma
nures. All the requisite elements of fertility
were locked up in those clays and clay loans,
and they only needed liberating by the process
which Tull so earnestly recommended and his
followers 30 satisfactorily developed. More
over, no soil produces so we'll, even under or
binary circumstances, as that which has been
deeply ploughed and completely pulverized--
and the nearer field tllage can be brought to
garden culture, the larger the crops will be
and the more certain will be the yield These
are truths, which, if known, were not gener-
ally appreciated hundred years ago, and are
but imperfectly understood even in our own
times. Tull's enthusiastic teachings were not
therefore wholly without avail. His greatest
fault was that he carried his theory too far.
This laid him open to the attacks of his enc
mics and his reputation suffered by it. But
the truths he taught, were truths, neyerthe-
less, and as such are deserving of considera-
ton. That even clay lands will become ex-
hau,ted by constant tillage after the lapse Of
many years, if the constituents that are taken
of by the crops are not replaced by manures,
no one will deny. But in such lands the pro-
cess of exhaustion is comparatively slow, for
they nrc great absorbents and annually collect
and retain, from dew and rain and snow, and
from the atmosphere generally, a considerable
portion of those fertilizing elements which
they lose by the annual crops. But whilst
this is true, to a certain extent, of clays and
clay loans, no such recuperative power at
taches to sands and sandy gravels and grayelly
loans. These latter are speedily exhausted
by frequent cropping. Tull's system of t,llage
as applied to sands, would wear them out in
the course of few years. What fertilizing
substances they contain they hold loosely
yield freely and do not ro-absorb at all. 1t is
the same with gravels, which are but coarscr
kind Of sand, and also, but to lesser extent,
with gravelly loans. The system of hus-
bandry, therefore, which ought to be adopted,
should be such as conforms to the nature of
the soils that are to be worked. Heavy clay |
loans will be benefited by high tillage, and |
will require for their annual restoration very
small amount of mauure; but sands, gravels, |
and sandy and gravolly loans being easily
worked and breaking down Of themselves,
demand full supplies Of nanures to make up
for the readiness with which they are exhaust
ed by teaching, by evaporation, and by fire.
quent cropping .-Mvyand Farmer.