New-York tribune., 1870-04-09
WHATIKNOW OF FARMING.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
XY.
pTOWING-GOOD III AND BAD.


..,,oor insist that it won't do. For instance
81 hears something said of deep plowing, and,
t,+ any clear understanding of or tirm faith in
,lves 70 give il n trial SO he buys great
- = makes up a strong team and proceeds to turn
r ia hitherto plowed but six inches to a depth
.,o. in other words. to bury its soil under six
- Of cold sterile clay sand. or gravel. On this,
- ri,nts or sows grain, and is lucky indeed II he
.,,,,s half a crop. Hereupon, he reports TO his
.;-bhors that Deep Flowing is humbug as he
-.,,,sa all along; but now he knows, for he has
s-.a1it There are several other wrong ways, which
I'll hurry over in order to set forth that which
regard as the night one
9.,.iss middling farmer of the old school, who
IL carefully in the footsteps of his respected
.It,tber but with inferior success, because sixty
e-.,l haryests though not particularly luxuriant.
a. partially exhausted the productive capacity Of
-. ,crcs he inherited He now garners from fifteen
.b;-tv bushols of Corn, from ten TO twenty OF
tvhs,t from fifteen to twenty of Rye, from twenty
- ,b,rtv of Oats and from a tun TO tun and half
sH,y As the season proves more or less propltious
nd i,,t oontrives TO draw from his sixty to one
hupirod acres decent subsistence for his family ;
,loync. as his father and grandfather did to
5.,ib of five TO seven inches What can Deep POW
ing 90 fOr him :
answer-By itself nothing whatever. II IN
avery other respect he is to persist IN dong Just as
n. lther and his grandfather did, douDt the eX-
oel cncy of doubling the depth OF his burrows
Tn, the worst effects of the change would be re-
.E,l Al the outset and feel confident that has SIX
io,le, of subsoil. having been made to change
.l,.. with that which formerly rested upon it, must
r-,dsaly be wrought upon by air. and rain and
fr,.- until converted into a tolerably productive
II, ha Of rlautS would
ea.lg and speedily make their way down 10 the
,cl.- stratum which. originally surface has been
t,-no,ed into subsoil. But this exchange of posi-
4, between the original surface and subSoll Is not
ub,, mean By Deep Flowing, nor anything like 1t.
Wt,t 10 mean Is this:
Having thoroughly underdrained a field. so that
,.er will not stand upon any part of ITS surface no
MATTER how much NAV there be deposited. the next
te, , order is 10 increase the depth of the soil To
tbi end procure regular sub-son plOw Of the most
ap,.oyed pattern attach TO it strong team, and let
II ,,9w the breakng-plow IN Its furrOw. lifting and
puIgtrzing the sub-soh to depth OF not less than
az inches bu leaving it in position exactly where IT
va, The surface-plow tums the next furTow upon
Tn, oo,eued sub-soil and on till the whole field Is
tbus pulyerized TO a depth Of not less than twelve
iprbe, or better STILL fifteen. Now. please remem-
bsr that You have twice as much SOIL
rr acre 10 fertze as there was before hence that II
consequently requires twice as much manure, and
yo1 viii have laid good foundation for in
creased crops l DO not say that all the additional
on.Ay will be returned to you IN the increase OF
yolr next crop for do not believe anything OF the
So, but do believe that this crop viii be CONSIDER
abe ,arser for this generous treatment, especially
If .le season prove remarkably dry OF unconnnoniy
W.. and that you viii have insured better crops IN
The years TO come including heavier grass after that
fr ,hs. once more be laid down; and that, II case
Of hs planting Of that field 10 fruit or other trees
thy VII grow faster resist disease better ana
thuve o9gcr than if the soil were still plowed as OF
OIL I shall insist hereafter on the advantage and
iu'5rtduce Of subSoiling orchards
Take another aspect-that Of subsoihng hill-sdes
p7r.ge1t their abrasion by water:
Ihqye t.o bits Of warm. gravelly hillside, which
touutuI,v Weld Corn, Wheat and Oats but which
a.. addicted to washing. l presume one Of these
BIZ. az the southeast corner Of my farm, has been
pov-d and planted not less than one hundred times,
AMI that az least half the fertilizers applied to it have
ben washed into the brook and hence into the Hud-
s1a. 10 say that $1,000 have TINS been squandered
Oh that patch OF ground, would be 10 keep f1r
within the truth. And. along with the fertilizers,
large portion of the finer aud better elements OF the
original SOL have thus been swept into the
brook. and 80 lavished upon the waters OF
or b9v But. since l had those lots tho
uagl'y subsoiled all the water that falls
upon them when in tlage sinks into the soil and re-
nan, there until drained away by filtration or
e'aport.ol; and l never saw particle Of soil
washed !l0m either save once, when thaw Of one OF
yo inches on the surface leaving the ground solidiy
frozen beneath, being quickly followed by pouring
n1. washed away few bushels Of the oosened aud
"dsn surface proving that the law by virtue OF
winch these fields were formerly denuded while IN
eu.va.iou is still active. and that Deep Flowing Is
'Gr,tve and all but unlailng antidOte for the
e'Su tends TO incte.
We p,1v too many acres annually, and do not plow
them 80 thoroughly s. we ought. IN the good time
tomas. when Steam shall have been a. barnessed 10
s-inso ,X 10 twelve plows that, with one man
guu1g and firing. II viii move as fast as a man
ought 90 walk. stcaming on and thoroughly pulyer-
IIn2 ,om twelve TO twenty five acres per day, be-
A5'eWe shall p.Ow at least twofeet deep, and pOw not
To- tl4h tv.ce before putting in any crop Whatever
ih'i We may lay down field il the confident trust
E4~t . VII yield iIOm two and hall 70 three tuns
o. good has pei luuum for the next ten or twelve
yeap. while by the help Of irrigation and occasional
''dressng, it may be made TO average atleast three
'll' ior lifetime if not forever.
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