Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-01-30
9spartnlellt
From the Farmers Chronicle.
Early Plswing.

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Doubtless all systematic and thin \
ing farmers have, ere this, determin :
ed IN what fields they will pus esch
particular crop the comias season;
what old meadows or pastures they
viii break up, and made their general
arrangements for the summers
work.
To this class-that is to the read
ipg and thinking part-of my BROTH
er farmers, I would ike to say few
words about the advantages Of early
plowing. Land plowed early In the
season will, by the action of frost or
slight freezes, be made mellow; and,
therefore, much nicer to work while
planting and during the early tend.
ing of the crop; besides, bringing ~
least ten per cens. better crop. All
those who heard DR.. Warder's adj
dress before the State Agricultural
Convention, remember what he said
about white, brown headed, crook
ed worm, which weSusually call grub
worm Several years ago I had 8
field, the soil Of which was so full of
these pests as to materially injure q
corn, and almost destroy a potatoe
crop.
seeing an article in some agrlcul-.
tural paper, that plewing land in
early spring, so it would freeze af-
terwards, would destroy such worms,
/ commenced on the 9Th day Of
March, plowing my land eleven and
. half inches deep, and thoroughly
digging round stumps as deep as the
blowing. We went over forty acre
field in this way. 1t is true, how
ever, we hsd. to work some days with
our overcoats and mittens on; but /
had my land in excellent order at
planting time; raised ninety bushels
Of sheiled corn per acre, and have
never seen bnt few worms, and sus-1
tanned no damage from them since.
A few years subsequent to this, /
had an old meadow wished to plant
to corn; there coming q favorable
time in February, plowed twenty
acres. The season proved to be
prolific in cut worms, or "naked cat
apillars," as DR.. Warder called them.
Some Of my neighbors waited until
April to plow their sod land. The
cut worms almost stripped the late
plowed fields, while l did not notice
a single stalk of corn cut of in my
early plowed field. MY theory of
which is, that blowing early disturbs
the winter arrangements of the
worms, and the subsequent frosts
destroy the eggs as well as the
worms.
Other advantages are; we take
time by the forelock, get our land
ready for planting in good season;
accustom our teams gradually to
their work; avoid the almost killing
pressure of them, during the hot
weather of May and June, and have
mellow nice land.to work instead OF
clods.
Some of the disadvantages are;
that on heavy clay soils, should very
wet weather succeed, the land would
be apt to become hard and need a
a second plewing. This would be
the case, however, on such soils
plowed any time in the whole year
Clays, when made very wet, soon af-
ter plowing, will get hard, unless
they are stirred If we would be de-
TERED, therefore, on that account we
would never plow them, as hard |
rains come at all seasons of toe year.
I think 1t is well to try our best,
put in our crops early and in good
tend well, and nine times
out. of ten, we can count on at least
q good crop.
Another consideration is: those
that tend and manage well, get from
'wo- thirds to three quarters of q full
,rop, even in the hardest seasons,
md then get double the price eor it,
while the sloven gets scarcely enough
% keep soul and body together
Choose, young farmer, which class
7ou will belong to.
COLUMBUS, O., Jan. Is, 1868.
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