Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-04-01
farm ,firesidt:,


From the journal Of the Farm.
shallow versus Deep PIowiug.
GENrIEMEN The depth towhichfarm lana
should DO plowed in order to insure the great
est present and future returns, is question
which deeply concerns every man VINO owns
or cultiyates an acre Of titled soil, as well as
interests the country at large, Much argu-
,nent and mauy dogmatic ayerments have
lately observed in the Agricultural press,
AGAINST shallow and in faver of deep pl0w-
ing, without always defining the terms. Inc
American Institute Farmers Club has there
fore. think done wise thing in deciding 80 |
far as il could, that shallow blowing shall
henceforth mean FIVE inches and under, and
that deem blowing shall mean over five inch
es Inf Without fixing limit / think on that
side One member at least of the aforesaid
club has however avowed himself in favor OF
blowing twelve and Ultimately to the depth OF
eighteen inches, with view to proht IL tne
present product OF farm lana can ~ ao ~
led and trebled simply by increasing tue
depth Of the soil in that ratio, as some persons
allege. 1t is certainly high time that farmers
should know It, If deep blowing su1solllng
and air draining are followed by such results
40 their advocates claim for them, then, farm
ers hereabouts are richly deserving leather
medal in not having put them all In produce
long ago Professor Mapes favored us WIN
lecture ON Agriculture fliteen years ago, ~
which he took the most radical ground, and
argued nuently with great positiveness In
their favor but as yet, the first air drain re-
mains to be made, and the subsoi rests Where
Nature placed it, III
Since then, however, observe that the
advocates Of deep blowing generally recon-
mend farmers to go down. an inch or TWO
deeper at each successive blowing, and mus
gradually deepen the soil without the aa
mitted disadvantage of having much SUD
soil on the surface. Allow me Mr.. Editor to
question the policy of disturbing the subsoil
nj all. If a yery deep soil were essential IN
the production of maximum crops OF any
kind, il would seem to be so with roofs, ye.
| have raised at the rate OF twelve hnhare :,
bushels of sugar beets to the acre, on son
not exceeding six inches in depth On the
other hand, strip in my garden that was
trcnched TO the depth of thirty inches, four
teen wears ago, has from that year to this
done no better and no worse than the part:
adiocent. OF two farms in this neighborhood
sitlatea very much alike, one of which wa
SUBSIDIZED wears ago and the other never, thu
crops on the SUBSIDIZED farm have been nj
better, to say the least than the othcr
If the American Bottom, which IS SAID u
be from three to fourteen feet deep pro
duces no more corn per acre ina
our best land here, with six inch sol
which / think is true, of what use woui'
II be to increase the depth of the latter 10
corn raising. and so of other crops II Il
this it be replied that the American Bolton
will. without manure, continue to produc
good crops indefinitely, whereas your 81
inch soil would by similar treatment, 500
became barren, reply that might be a RET
son for buying the deep SOIL in preierent
TO the other, without being reason WHY "
should 20 to the expense of making one.
far as have been able to judge, the natur
arrangement of the soil and subsoil is Il
very best that could be devised The ella
subsoil. which is thoroughly saturate
through winter and spring with water, Y
tains the moisture best in its dark bed Tor q
use of growing crops on the surface durii
the warm and dry weather that follow
have seen three tons of hay, thirty busht
of wheat and eighty eight bushels of co
grown to the acre, also the stump OF a chc'
nut tree eleven feet in diameter, all of viii
rrew on a six inch soil. Heavier crops al
bigger trees are often reported, but in rega
to the above know whereof affirm.
As clover sends its roots deep into the 81
soil without distur bance, and wheat, co
and forest trees do not, assume. in view
of the foregoing facts that it is not nee
sary that they should, in order to prodr
maximum crops OF either.
A CHESTER VALLEY FARMER
January %, 1862