The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-11-17
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In the CouHtFy Gentleman for October
zStns there Is an article headed "Au-
tn tn Pioughing for Spring Crops,n IN
Which 1t Is recommended that, except
t9E sod land, the practice be adopted
only ior light sandy or graVelly soiISi
the reason given being that on heaVier
land the i'll effect of heavy rains In com.
pacing the soil would more than over
come the advantage.
That this compacting is the opposite
OF Denehcial, there can be, of course
no doubt, but we very much question:
come the peneht resulting from the ac-
ton OF frost on the roughly upturned
furrow, especially on very heavy soil.
Almost all agricultural lands have
upon themstn the TALL OF the year a GER
tain amount OF vegetation, and the soil
rs usually thtckly interviewer with
-foots. THESE would certainly be suffi-
Client TO keep the earth porus enough to
be penetrated by the roots of young
plants In the spIing. In all of the North
-ern States wherever the frosts are con-
siderRblel rough exposure of the soil of
a field during single winter will do
more 70 disinteRrate the Jumps of clay
which It may contain than would sew
eTal summer ploughinks. - ~
There Is another consideration which
should not be lost sight Of These
lands, which IL is recommended not to
plough in the autumn, are the very
ones which Il Is usually difficult 10
plough in spring in time for planting,
without doing the work when they are
SO wet as to be more injured than bene-
fitted by the operation.
II they have been ploughed in the
fall and left exposed to the action of
frostss they may be ploughed again in
the spring very rapidly and with very
little work, or, IL there is not sufficient
time TODD this, they may be thoroughly
narrowed, and, according to our obser-
walton, will be much more likely to
afford 6ne seed bed and TO offer a well
disintegrated material for the penetra-
ton OF roots than IL they had lain sod
den all winter and received but q single
plonghing in the spring.. The second
ploughing referred TO above is of very
can possibly be spared for il, or II other
teams can be hired for It, 1t will surely
pay-propided IL can be done when the
land IS dry enough TO crumble under
the plough.
Another, great Ea[ivantsgs OF fall
ploughing is that it lessons the danger
that manure, spread upon the surface
in wintrr, will be washed away, and
does much to facilitate the entrance into
the soil of the soluble parts OF the ma
nure during heavy rains or during the
melting of snow; and this argument is
a very strong one, for there Is no ques-
ton that manure SO used on all lands
which are so level or SO we'll drained
that the water OF heavy rains will not
wash over their surfaces produces a
much greater immediate effect, and
does as much good in the long run as
that which is ploughed or deeply har-
rowed Into the surface Immediately
after being spread.. ~ ss-
The article under consideration con-
fesses the advantage of fall ploughing
for grass land and for light land; but IL
seems to+us that its writer does not
appreciate the beneficial
action OF frost on heavy clay, which
Is generally consideredt to be very great.
ter not to plough grass land until
spring, lift Is intended TO plant 1t with
corn. The only reason given for this Is
that "the grass can make but little
through the sod before the
corn keeps Il under by shRding.n The
plan of ploug hing in the fall. II the work
IS we'll done, and especially II 1t is
done early enough, has. the greater ad-
vantage that the grass can make no
Roadway at all. That is to say, IL is so
easy to kill the little that does come up,
land is full OF couch grass itshonld be
at planting time as clean as old stubbIeI
land.
Land plonghed in the fall should be
narrowed as soon as it Is dry enough in
the early spring. Before corn planting
time many weed .seeda Will have
sproutedi and these may be destroyed
by a second narrowing, so that the la
Dor of securing clean cultivation dur
ing the growth of the crop will be very
greatly reduced.