The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1870-03-03
AGRICULTURE.
About Ploughing.

regard TO the proper depth at which
land should be ploughed, and good
many crude ideas have been ventilated
on the subject. But we take what is
called "the experience" of the New
Jersey farmers as worthy ofspecial
comment. Among these the opinion is
strong that land should Lot he plough
ed at any time deeper than four inches,
and one practical farmer asserts that
the best crops are made when the
plough is not allowed to Iun to great
er depth than three inches. Theinterfer-
encc couveyedby these statements is that
all ploughiug ought to be shallow, and
that the modern theory of deep plough
ingis not only erroneous, but that it
Injuries the crops. The error in this
lies in taking special instance and a
peculiar soil, and adopting it as proper
for all kinds Of soil. The truth is, the
soil of the greater part OF New jersey
either light sand or one into which
large admixture of sand cutters into its
composition. Now, in sand4, and in
sandy loans in which sands predomi-
mates, the theory of shallow ploughlnS
hold good, unless the underlying SUBJ
SSH within easy reach Of the plow is of
a superir.. quality, and requires only to
be broken up~and pulverized to add
largely-to the fertility of the entire
mass.j The probability is that the sub
soir of the light lands Of New Jersey,
or at lcast'of those lands to which the
farmers diluted to refer is Of bad
quality, and contains ingredients that
are really injurious when mixed with
the surface soil. 1t may be, however,
that the sandy soil is of considerable
depth, and in that case the looser it is
made by deep ploughing, the more
readily the mauures PCT upon it filter
through and are lost to the crops. In
either case shallow ploughing is proper,
and the course pursued by the New
Jersey farmers is exactly what expert
ence would dictate to any observant
man. A similar rule will apply to all
sandy soils of like character, both on
the Eastern Shore of Maryland or else
where. But there are soils which have
sandy surface that are greatly benc-
fitted by deep ploughing. These soils
are what are known as the alluvial for
matiou-many of them have been par
TALLY exhausted by shallow ploushing
and ovcr-cropping; but when the Plow
is forced down to the rich alluvial de-
posit below, the process of renovation is
rapid and easy. We say, then, it is
only on deep sands Of the lightest tezt-
ure, and on sands which lie Oh delete
rious subsoil, that shallow ploughipg is
applicable. In all other cases, deep
ploughing should be the rule.
Nevertheless, there is one thing to
be guarded against-the raw, fresh, and
sometimes sour subsoil should not be
brought to the surface. 1t should be
d'cply stirred al d pulverized by the use
OF the subsoil plow, but should not be
otherwise disturbed in its bed until it
has been meloWed and sweetened and
aerated by rains and melting SHOWS, and
BY atmospheric influences. After this
has been done, and not till then, the
plow may annually bring up portion
of this sweetened and fertile subsoil to
the surface to be mixed with it, until
gradually the entire mass to the depth
to which the subsoll was run becomes
thoroughly incorporated with the sur,
face soil. 1t is neglect ofthese precau,
tions which has so often discouraged
those who have undertaken to deepen
their thin soil with the plow. But to
those who are disposed to test the meth.
cd we have described, the use of sub,
soil plow is not absolute necessary. A
common plow running in the same fur.
row will answer o similar purpose. The
condition to be observed is, that the
raw subsoil shall not be brought to the
surface, and the old surface soil buried
boneoth II hnt that the subsoil offer