Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-06-13


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(. "AGMouLTuRAL EDToR,
DeiCsoare Tribune,
i Wilmington, Del.
THERE Is NO sUBJacr upon which there is
greater diversity of opinion than that of ag-
riculiure, some advocate one thing and some
another and this Is manifest, as much per-
| haps,in the proper depth, that ground should
be ploughed, and advantage or disadvantage
of subsoiling, as any other, the almost uni
versol belief thirty years ago, when myself
commenced farming, was, that the only
| limit to the depth thatland should be plough
ed was the ability of their teams; that how
ever deep they might be able to plough it
fell far short of being deep enough, and this
idea has been industriously instilled into
the minds of the people ever since, our
writers on agriculture mostly urging it as an
essential preliminary to success, and one
writer, little more enthusiastic than the
rest, for the reason i suppose that he was
raised in the city, and did not know any
thing about it,said ground should be plough
ed eighteen inches deep, and he having
bought farm, his purchase extended to the
centre of the earth, and he meant to have
the full benefit of it. Another matter about
which farmers were eq tally assured was that
| manure should not be allowed to lie on the
| surface, but to prevent waste, should be
ploughed in,with as little delay, land as deep
ly as possible; this practice, or rather theo-
ry, Qor it was not very generally practiceD,
was consistent, for maintain that If plough
ing should be done deeply manure should be
put in the ground equally deep, if it is right
to plough the surface soil deep, that is where
the crops get the most benefit from it, and
of course the manure should go down with
1t, but change has been gradually going on
in the minds of the farming community, they
are not quite so sure that they lose SO much
by spreading their manure on the surface
and letting it lie there, the parctise Of
doing SO, is gradually, yet surely increasing
and now many practical farmers, believe
that this is the best way to apply it, if this
is the case, if there is no loss, but really
benefit in letting manure lie upon the the
surface, and keeping it there, what becomes
of the theory of deep ploughing, the two
must stand or fall together, if it is best TO
keep the manure near the surface it is best
to keep the soil near the surface, if it is best
to bury one deeply it is best to bury the other
deeply, but says the advocate of deep plough
ing, every one will admit that a deep soil is
better than Il shallow one, of course they do,
So every one is prepared to admit, which
amounts to about the same thing, that two
tons of manure is better than one ton, if you
should happen to have manure enough to
enrich the soil eight OF ten inches deep, Ga
thing which never yet happened, except over
a very small space), it would be very much
better than if you could only enrich it two
inches but if you have only manure enough
to enrich the soil two or three inches deep,
and my opinion is that very few farmers at
tain to that, it is much better to keep what
you have near the surface where the action
of the elements are constantly making those
chemical changes and combinations that
gather up and prepare the various properties
in the soil, and make them food for plants
A deep soil is not essential to the produc-
ton Of good crop. This being the case
| and the action of the elements taking place
| at the surface, the conclusion, to my mind,
is irresistible, that if you plough your ma
nure and soil down very deep you lose very
much of its value; the drenching rains that
we frequently have, holding as they do the
best part of the manure and soil in solution,
carry it down below the negotiating point,
and asa consequence is in great measure lost.
The surface of the earth is great labori-
tory, where the ingredients necessary to the
production of plants are chemically prepared
for their food, and if these ingredients are
in sufficient quantity, and in tho right place,
a large crop will be the result; but if in the
first place, the supply is deficient, and second
ly, portion is put down out of the reach of
this chemical action, very small return for
our labor will be realized. Nature. is always
true to herself; like circumstances will always
'iouacc llhe results; crops VIII Always grow
luxuriently where the ingredients necessary
10 'heir CROWN are IN the SOIL IN suiiicient
quantity, and all the farmer has to do is to
ascertain what ingredients enter into the
growth of his crop, and if not found in the
soil in sufficient quantity to supply that
want artificially and just so sure as he sup
plies that deficiency will he have good
crop; and if he neglects to supply the re-
quircd food, or places it out of reach, he will
have poor crop. It is all important that
we follow natures plan if we would succeed
and nature never yet formed deep soil; 1t
has been made sometimes by the overflow
of rivers, but that consider artificial. As
test to this question, if we plough land
where the largest and most luxurient timber