St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-05-15
THE CALIFORNIAN.
farm, Garden and 6itrhrn.
IfOugHing.

lilninary step in all cultivation, and It
has therefore been more discussed than
any other, and examined in all its as
poets, practical and theoretical The
most scientific men and the most skillful
mechanics have devoted much thought TO
ii, have written treaties in regard to it,
and the plough has been taken as the
type and emblem of agriculture and al
most of civilization itself from the earli-
est ages OF the world.
The minds of men are not fully united
or harmonized either in regard to the
manner i'll which the work should be
done, or the implement with which the
particular results should BE- effected. One
man would plough shallow everywhere,
another advocates deep ploughins under
all circumstances. The truth of the mat
ter lies between the two perhaps, or
rather there /, 10 General rule that viii
apply in al cases for all classes of soils.
Ihrrr are cases where deep ploughing
would hc in the highest dcaIee iniudi-
ciou- and there are others where shallow
ploughing would be the poorest kind OF
economy In light, thin, sandy soil.
with slight covering OF surface mould.
deep ploughing would not only be labor
lost, but mi ht prove wholly ruinou- IL
the soil itself, and make a naturally poor
soil quite barren, or put it into a condi-
ton in which it would require very
heavy application OF manures to bring ii
back even to its former state OF produc-
tivencss
Where the soil is deep, that is where
the surface mould is thick and uniform
in quality, the plough may 20 down tc
any desired depth with manifest advant-
age. But such soils are the exception
They exist in some fertile valleys at the
cast, but generally they are found i'll only
limitcdsarcl~ III 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 south. Soil,
and subsoils differ 50 widely i'll New
England, that we can never expect tC
arrive at any well settled uniform rule OF
ploughing that Will be of general appli-
cation. II the soil /, of medium depth,
and the >nbsoil hard or poor in quality,
or cold and stiff. the ploughman will be
Obliged to exercise Judgment and care
If he brings up too much of it he will find
himself disappointed in the crop and have
only his labor for his pains.
This talk. therefore, which we often
hear from those not over and above IN
formed on the subject, and the articles
We often see coming from the pens O:
those who ought 10 know better, TO the
effect that an acre or Il farm that has
been ploughed shallow, contains another
acre or another farm lying under it. and
which NAV be reached and made avail
able 10y putin" the plough down into it,
Is all nonsense. 1t is worse-than non.
sense 1t Is false and liable to misleac
because it depends wholly on the charac'
ter of the soil which underlics the arabl,
or surface soil. If it i rich and good
uniform in quality with the upper stla
tum, it may, in some cases be true, bu
the cases where those conditions exist il
this part of the country, are the eNcep
ton and not the rule.
An island OF alluvial soil in the Hud
son may possess a soil that cannot b
ploughcd too deep. but it does not :ollo'
that the Island of Nantucket or the shal
low soil of our New England hills, coul
be treated the same way.
We do not advocate shallow plough
ing, however. But we wish the advc
Gates of indscriminate deep ploughine
10 understand, that our intelligent farm
Crs know about as we'll how far it will d
to 90 down. us they do. If the subso
~ very poor, we know that much cautio
Is required not to 90 so deep as to brin
up too much Of ii at one time If it
OF medium quality, it will do to bring u
lnorc-if it is decidedly good and rcl
no caution will lie required. 1t depenC
ed almost entirely upon the character {
the soil and subSoil
On general principles of course, til
deeper the soil or the greater the rang
OF plant roots the better. 1t should b
the aim, therefore, TO plough and loose
The soil 10 a. great a depth as the natur
OF the suhsoil will permit. If it is no
deep enough. we must try and deepen
by DEGREES, little by little The i'll effec
of a slight admixture of as poor sol
brought up to the surface from beloy
may be easily overcome by manuring an
cultivation, but if too much of it come
to the surface at one time, no effort O
the part of the farmer can overcome
first season, and he will have to wait :
long time before he can make a produc
tive soil of it.
Time will correct mistakes of tbi
Kind, because all absorptive soils an
loamy subsoils have very considerabl