Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-09-16
Don't PIow too Much.

Don't Plcw too Muoh.,
The general impression is that in
the matter Of Flowing, the sins of
our farmers are those of omission
rather than commission, but the
following article from the Rurol
World, arraigns them for too much
rather than too little work in that
line:
One of the cardinal sins of our
Western cultivators is, they plow
too mach. 1t is corn, corn, wheat,
wheat, cornaand wheat, till our roll
ING lands have all their rich soil
taken down to the Gulf of Mexico to
form new dcltas; and our bottom
lands run by the sole of the pillow,
so that at depth of from three to
six inches there is stratum of that
rich material as intractable and i'm
pervious as the pavements of our
CITY. The soil of our land is only
given us in trust for future genera
tons, and we arc robbers of the
most determined character if we
pursue a course of deterioration, be
it gradual or sudden, immediate or
remote.
In the common culture of our up
lands, there are cases where from
six to ten years have rendered fer
file fields as sterile as the road bed;
and there are hundreds of farms
that have changed owners within
twenty-five years of opening them,
because they fail to maintain the
family, and the tide of population
was taken advantage of to sell out
move to the newer lands further
West to pursue Il similar course
with similar results.
1t is true that all lands are not
equally liable to the great mistor-
tunes of washing as are some of our
uplands; but all the lands that are
not large portion of the time Gun
tillable mud holcs," are liable to Sc
we're annual loss by washing.
During the summer the severe,
lashing rains sometimes remove tons
of the best soil from the land; but
it is during the winter and opening
of spring that the vastness of the loss
strike us through an alternate trcez-
ing and thawing, and sudden rains
on still frozen ground. The owner
of large farm in this State, pointed
to beautiful field that he always
had in wheat, remarking that his
loss on that field could not be made
up for $500 if left naked during the
winter.
Farmers p1o,c too much, and do
not make sufficient provisions for
pasturing. The use of more stock
and meadow pasture, and less corn
raising, will be means of saving
the labor as well as the risk Of the
plow. 1t is essential to ultimate
profit, that as little Of raw material
as possible be removed; that as
little as possible be taken off, the
farm, not only on account of the
economy in transportation, but be-
cause, if the farmer can, with the
perpctuity of the condition Of his
farm, cause animal machines to
manufacture hay and grass, corn
and the like into butter, and cheese,
and beef, and pork-to a certain
extent, he combines the manufac-
turer with the farmer and utilizes
products that are under other cir
cumstances not only waste but
nuisanccs, and favorably affects the
domestic economies and exchanges
of all within his reach.
Farmers p' IT," too mWch IN arid'h,
and too little IN depth. While there
is no doubt that the question of
depth of plow-slice depends very
much upon the character of the soil
and sub-soil, it is fact that if there
was more stock and pasture; more
of the waste used as manure; more
clover and other plants to turn I'M
der-the slice would have to be
much deeper to cover it, and much
narrower to balance the plow rcquir-
ed to turn the slice: a gradual am
elioration of the soil and sub-soil |
would be the result, and it would
be found that this treatment would
result in increased production, so
that 8 acres would produce as much
as ten, and the land actually incrcas-
ed in value-not from its contiguity |
to city or railroad, but because Of
its increase in productive worth
from day to day, and in its rever-
sionary value to posterity.
This is subject of far too great
importance to be treated lightly,
and we submit if it will not be
wisest policy in beginning for an
other crop, in entering upon the
labors of another 'farming year."
to canvas wherein the points ofrcal,
true, present and ultimate profit
lie. To test the matter fairly,
whether we cannot by increasing
the depth of the productive capabil-
tiles of our farm decrease the area,
and so manage as to extract from
ten acres as much as we have been
doing from fifteen. Try to do a
little less, and little better.
God speed the plo'o. May we
never change it from being a bless
ing into a curse not to ourselves
only, but to succeeding genera