Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-05-06
agricultural.
plGughing.

The process of plOu Ching must be consid-
cred the most imp)rtlnt of az operation on
the farm IL lies at the very foundation OF
all farming and is the preliminary step in all
cultivation, and it has therefore been more dis
cussed than any other, and examined in all
its aspects, practical and theoretical. The
most scientific men and the most skillful
mechanics have devoted much thought to it ,
have written treatise upon treatise in regard
to it, AMI the plough has been taken as the
type and emblem of agriculture and almost
of civIIiz itIon itself from the earliest ages
Of the world,
The minds of men are not fully united
harmonizcd either in regard to the manner
in which the work should be done, or the
imp cment with which the particular results
should he effected. One man would plough
shallow everywhere. another advocates deep
ploughinz under all circumstances. The
truth Of the matter lies between the two per
haps, or rather there is no general rule that
will apply In all cases for all classes Of
soils. There are cases where deep pluuging
would he in the highest degree injudiciOus
and there are others where shallow plough
iny would he the poorest kind of economy
In a light, thin, sandy soil, with n slight Gov
eripg of surface mould, deep ploughing
would not only he labor lost. but might
prove wholly ruinOus to the soil ITSELF and
mate 4 naturally poor soil quite barren. or
put it into 4 condition in which it would re-
quire a very heavy application of manures
u bring il back even TO its former state of
productIveness.
Where the soil is deep, that is where the
surface mould Is thick and uniform in quail
ty the plough may go down 10 any desired
depth with manifest ADVANTAGE. But such
soils are the exception. They exist in some
fertile valleys at the East but generally they
are found in only limited areas in this part
Of the country, and if we would find them
extending over wide surfaces we must look
for them at the West. or in some of the
bottom lands along the river basin at the
Sou h. ~Oils AMI subsoils differ so widely
in New En.l md that we can never expect
t. arrive at any well settled uniform rule OF
ploughins that will he Of general application.
If the so | is of medium depth. and the sub
soil hard or poor in quality, cold and ST fl
the plou CHM an will be obliged to exercise
Judgment AMI care. If he brings up too
much of it he will find himself disappointed
in the crop aud have only his labor for his
pains.
This t~lk. therefore, which we often hear
from those not over and above informed on
the subject, and the articles we often see
coming from the pens of those who ought to
know better, to the effect that an acre or
a farm that Us been ploughed shallow, con-
tains another acre or another farm lying
under it, and which may be reached and
m ,de available by putting the plough down
int, it, is all nonsense. 1t is worse than
nonsense. 1t is false and liable to mislead
because it depends wholly on the character
of the soil which undcrlies tho arabic or sur
face SOIL lift is ricn and good, uniform in
quality with the upper stratum, it may, in
eomc cases be true. but the case where
those conditions exist in this part the
country. are the exception and not the rule
An island Of alluvial soil in the Hudson
NAV possess soil that cannot be ploughed
tho dep. but it does not follow that the
Island OF Nantucket or the shallow soil OF
our New England hills, could be treated in
the same way