Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-03-02
Westminster Farmers Club.

Westminster Farmers Club.
PLouGHING AND STIRRING THE SOIL.
Maj Page remarked that now at rs years Of
age he had but just begun to know how to live.
The rising generation will take hold in farming
improvements where the old fathers left off
Looking back at the mode of ploughing sxty-fve
years agone and at the tools then called plows, he
fancied himself once again riding as when boy,
upon the pillow beam, holding a clearing stick in
his hands, to clean and clear the pillow once per
rod. With two stout yoke of oxen and good
driver and a stalwart man to hold, with great
labor and heat to the oxen, men and boy, an half
acre was got ouer--not ploughed--per day. The
pillow then used was called the Lock-shire and
consisted Of beam standing u inches from the
ground inserted into hole of post taken from the
post and rail fence of those days, which post re
ceived backward slant Of As Q and was hacked
off at the bottom so as to gauge furrow five
feet Deep Then in few years came an improv-
ed Dutch pillow, which went better Afterward he
invented pillow which he used until the first iron
pillow was introduced.
| Maj. Page advised to plough land deep-not
less than eight inches, and manure it we'll He
would not plough his oat land till spring-would
| plo ugh his land as late in the spring as pos
sible, roll and then harrow thoroughly use a
marker and plant Immediately. Thus the weeds
would be kept down. Use good horse cutiva
tor running it each way, and your hoeing is easy
He would plough old sward land in the fall te
! let the frost subdue the turf and kill the worms
Spread the manure on the top in the spring, ant
drag, drag, drag. Do not be afraid of too mucl
dragging.
MIR. Lane said he used to plough as much a
seven inches deep for corn. but now he got bette
crops in ploughing but four inhces. For the sec
ond ploughing he run three inches lower. Corr
roots sought air and sun, SO too the roofs of clio
YER
Mr. s. Grout believed in manuring well AMI
ploughing six to eight inches deep. Corn root
he had traced in their minute divisions to grea
depth and distance. The soil upon the rive
meadows was good many feet in depth, Instance
were found where patches of land from one.fourtl
to half an acre in extent had had the soil remov
ed to the depth of fifteen feet for building the rail
road and were the most productive of any. HI
believed in the efficacy of stirring the soil 1t fur
nished moisture for the plants and was a substi
tute for manure Jethro Tull famous Englisl
Farmer. laid down three great rules for agricutur
lists. The first rule was expressed in one word
viz, Hoe. The second, likewise Hoe. The third
Hoe.
Dea. McNiel said, deep ploughing might be
well, If you could manure well. But for him to
plough deep was injudicious, indeed perfect folly,
for he could not manure it, and the land could not
manure itself, He said Mr. A. Arnold a few
years since, poughed on the upper street with
three yoke of oxen, ten Or twelve inches deep, and
purchased much manure for the land from Bel
lows Falls, and got more weeds, but no more
corn than he got by poughing five to six inches
He said that, that soil from the depth Of twenty
feet after it had been exposed to sun and atmos.
phere and MANFRED several years, made good
land, was no reason for deep ploughng under or
binary circumstances
Mr.. J. N. Farr gave numerous cases of results
from deep and shallow ploughing of meadow
3 lands, and concluded that shallow ploughing was
best, and that bringing up the cold, deep soil to
the surface, would require time, expense and pa
tience before crop would succeed He recon.
mended the cylinderplow. Itraises, turns, throws
off the soil and covers well the coarse manure.
He would turn the burrows fiat on moist land,
thus subduing the grass and giving place for wa
ter. He would lap the burrows on light soils.
M. N. Pierce thought farmers failed in not har-
rowing their lands enough, and cultivating
enough. His crops were much increased by these
processes He was never sensible that he had
narrowed too much, but often, too little. He
did not call inches deep ploughiug, did not ap-
prove of fall blowing.
Mr.. Goodridge ploughed deep with sub-soil
plough, which obviated the objection as to bring
ing the poor soil at the top and gave the roots Of
plants a chance TO run deep, and guarded against
Ne drought
The following though not snake story mus,
be attributed to Mr.. FAIR, and is not much of ar
exaggeration. 1t shows the propriety of deep
I cultivation for garden vegetables Mr.. g. Of
Westminster spaded bed for parsnips very deep,
and euricfed thoroughly, Ths-os. s..s.. I.-,,
riantly. Last fall he attempted to pull one with
his hands, hut TO no purpose, he then got hoe but
to no effect. Then he got "a shovel, next spade
but still failed to uproot the sturdy parsnip. He
sN,~ined an iron bar and by system of drilling
A"- Ping, so loosened the roots of the mann.
ol setable, that he seized its top and by a
.,e. We p pull, caused it to give away about
me below the surface, which it did with
ea PECULIAR ereaking sound horrible die,u1
''a' me- asionished, ceased farther trial and the
= the parsnp, with its untried fellows, still
ms untouched The conclusion was evident.
deep thorough stirring and enrichment for all
sa'usn vegetables especially to those with tan
roy Prepare your Asparagus beds three and
o''ie half feet in depth-likewise spade and ma
1ure two feet below the surface of your celery
o'nch-plsce ashes and loan two feet in depth
~ your strawberry beds, and dig the alleys full
good manure in the fall.
@ L. T. w, Sec
--"Glorious Andy = Thus shouts the
na'tford Times, which said during those
=