Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-23
Fall Flowing.

There Is always a tendency on
the part Of the farmers, after the
severe harvest labors, TO have a
season of rest, not with any system
of recreation, but sort of indolent
dying around loose" The slight
est excuse will serve to saddle the
horse and ride to town, and there
indulge, like the Athenians of old,
Ito tell and hear something new"
1t is very true and desirable that
there should be some relaxation
after the severe labors of the harry
est field; but this year the season is
so peculiar that every nerve has had
to be stretched to secure the bounti-
full wheat harvest. Oats and barley
are yet to be secured. Besides all
this, there is any amount Of cult
walton necessary to make a corn
crop, if it can yet be made. To do
this, man must fulfil his part of the
contract and Providence will re
ward.
Such, however, are the laws of
nature in giving her rewards TO the
diligent, that no sooner is one crop
secured, than she demands that pre-
paration should be made for the
succeeding crop.
We have made ii our aim and
study, TO be a little in advance with
our counsel. 1t would sound very
gratingly on our ears to hear our
readers say "Had we known this
but a week sooner, it would have
been great saving to us; or, we
might have arranged our work very
different"
In common with every diligent
farmer 1ChO driveS his aCOrk, in
stead Of allowing his work to dri0e
him, we have been most successful
when we have started our plows
the earliest possible moment after
the harvest Of small grain was off.
We have known many to plow, even
with the shocks still standing, when
perhaps a shower had retarded the
stacking, but when the soil was in
good condition for the plow.
The action Of the sun upon the
soil is very similar to that of the
frost: it disintegrate5 the particles
and prepares it for a good seed bed.
Next, all the noxious seeds will
terminate, which, if not destroyed
by the frost before another crop of
seeds can mature, may be plowed
under, and are almost equal to
coat of manure or clover. We
think one reason why some Of the
counties in our own and neighbor-
ing State are able to furnish suc-
cessive wheat crops, is found in the
fact, that the land, generally, has
two fall plowings-one Immediately
after the harvest, and the other a
week or SO before seeding. 1t does
certainly help the land TO turn I'M
der, first a good stubble, and next
a coat of green weeds. If clover
seed were not so expensive, it would
pay to SOW it on the winter wheat
in February or March; then let it
grow and possess the land from
harvest until the last of August,
to be in turn plowed under for
manure. But there is no season Of
rest this year, as we have already
hinted-at least not until after seed
ing-and We must take up the cry:
"speed the plow;" make no delay.
sPlow deep while the sluggards
sleep, and you will have corn
| [gralnl to sell, and to keep"
There is still SO much of poor,
very poor blowing, that we cannot
allow this opportunity to pass, with
out reminding our readers that poor
blowing is very generally the
reason for poor crops. Why, man
| in this blessed land of ours, your
title deed goes clear down to the
earth's center; you are the happy
possessor Of a new farm let me
congratulate you 1t is Just be-
meath the four or five inches OF your
soil, while you have all along
thought COR acted as if that were
all covered by your title; dig down
turn it up and look at it; expose ii
to summers heat and winter $ frost
and IL will laugh with waving grain
and cause you to laugh also, with
pleasure and perhaps also will
shame, to think you have so long
neglected even to look at your pos
sessions.
Especially is it desirable to piow
r early where it is intended to SOW
grass seed for meadow. Much o
the seed sown is covered too deep
the land should be well Plowed ant
allowed to fall together and thor
, oughly fuse; then 1t should be wei
narrowed, and about the first o