The Lincoln County herald., 1870-05-05
AGRICULTURAL, DOMESTIC, ETC,
Stirring the Soil.


Tho season is fully upon Us when We
are expected to have o drouth. The
drouth, the great bsne Of the West; to
aeot which in the best way should be our
main study.
This is, as We all know, or ought to
know, . thorough, constant mellosing
Of the soil; ditching, laying at the bot
tom, all the better. But as this cannot
be this summer, we must resort to what
is left Us that 10 mollowing the surface.
This we cannot do in the grains, or at
least We do not, as they do in England
with their wheat and some other crops
But We can With the corn and oil heed
crops and corn is principal crop. b.
We cultivate corn to kill the insects |;
che most Of US do this and it must be
said that majority Of us do not succeed
Look at our corn fields in autumn. Is
that tho way to have them2 We know
some fields where in autumn and during
tho summer you find not weed, but you
do find soil as mellow as sand heap, aai
as moist ss though there had been no
drouth you are surprIed to End this
so. And the corn grows accordingly
all the better for the great heat in con.
nection with such moist soil Go any
time into the fields, in the midst or at the
end Of the drouth, aud you may kick up
moist soil. Iii ia only because the cult.
vator has been used and used steadily.
Now this is a stereotyped fact in agsi
culture. Itis certainly as beneficial to
stir the ground, and stir il much in o
drouth, as to plow it for a crop you
can harrow your stubble field aud get a
"crop." so you can raise corn without
cultivating But what will be your crops
10 either caseP
These remarks are made to try to per.
suade farmers to attend more to this mat
ter--not that they do not see that it is
at least good thing to keep weeds out
They arc however slow to believe in the
osher equally important principle --the
necessary moisture to the suffering crop
Now let our friends experiment a lit
tie. Let them cultivate frequently
merely for the stirring Of the soil as it ma y
seem and leave now and then few
rows, cultivating these just enough tc
keep weeds down. Let them do this, and
then note the effect.
We have tested this thing as thor
ouphly as it con be tested; and we have
hod others do the same thing. In al
cases It was a great success. There was ;
weight and moisture Of the soil that die
you good. Your great incredulity fell
you saw what seemed almost miracle.
moisture gathered by mere mo,ioa-mere
nonsense rs you thought, and so it seemed
But there was the ground protecting
the roots aud inviting them into it; fol
now and then you could hear the roots
brcuk by cultivating They know wher'
the best soil ia.
IF We could convince the people tha
thereis preftin thls-that the wori
more than pays for the hired wages
Yearly We ore losing millions in tn,
West alone from neglect of this simpl
operation, merely stirring the soil, stir
ring By horse power, and boy to do it
This boy and horse are killing weeds
as we'll as drouth, and the year following
and thereafter, there will be less Of thi
pest--for the corn 6eid, next TO garden
is the best place to grow weeds. But i
is also the best place to kill them.
Let harvest crowd: keep tho boy q
work. Let him fool" with the soil, ant
you will zee at the end of the season tn
wisd ON Of the course.-Rural World.