The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-01-27
From the Southern Farm and Home.
Flowing.


there is still room for much further i'm
proyement, particularly in the mode of
plowing.
The perfection of plowing is described
as "tho inversion of the surface Soil of
your field at an even depth, with firrow
slice cut in perfectly straight lines, of a
certain width and thickness, and the same
in every part of the field, either laid COM
pletely fat on its back, (f green sward
or stubble,) or made to recline upon it's
neighbor at an angle of forty-five de-
grees."
1t would be next to impossible to lay
down uniform rules as to tho proper depth
of plowing, the width of the furrow, how
ofton,the land should be plowed, or at
what seasons. All these must be varied
by a number OF circumstances, such as
thercharacter of the soil and the purpose
to be attained.
On thin, poor land it would do harm
instead of good to turn up to the surface
large quantities of the cold, barren and
inactive soil in which to sow the seed,
while the thin surface soil was buried
away where the roots could never reach
it through the poor soil. We have seen
it remarked that s'the depth to which
land should be turned {not broken) should
be regulated, In every case, by, the depth
of the soil. If that be but. one inch, the
land should be turned not more than one
inch, and a half. The proper rule to OBJ
serve is to turn over just SO much Of the
subsoil as will glaze the surface. In pro-
portion as you go beyond this, the crop
for that ye:r will be diminished, but the
land will be ultimately benefited" These
remarks refer only to the depth Of land
to be turned up. However shallow the
soil is turned, in every case the subsoil
should be broken and made loose with
sabsoif plow as deep as the plow can be
made to penetrate. To loosen the soil
and make it friable SO that the roots of
plants may easily penetrate it in search
of nuJriment to allow tho rain and air
to enter it, and thus bring supplies of
oxygen and ammonia to feed the plants
and to mix manures with the soil SO as
to make them available for plant-food,
constitute the objects of plowing.
There are wide differences of opinion
among practical men as to the proper
depth of plowing, some recommending
three inches as the proper depth, and 9th
ers seven or eight; but the weight OF
opinion of the best agrienlturists, both in
the Old and the New worlds, is in favor
of piowipg to depth of seven inches,
and then loosening the subsoil to a depth
of eight or nine inches more, by o subsoil
I,low following in the same furrow. Thus
the land is broken to a depth of fifteen
or sixteen inches, and without bringing
to the surface any of the inert subsoil
which is not suited to vegetation, it is
gradually mixed with the top soil and
made active by the admission of light,
sheat and moisture, while at the same time
the roots OF the plant have the means of
expansion in every direction.
On most, if not all, of our lands which
have been cultivated Sin the old way"
that is, scratched on the surface by q
'sturn-shoveP or scooter" below the
surface soil is "bard pan" made harder
every year by the sole of the scratching
plow and the treading of tho horses in
the furrow, through which it is impossible
for the roots of plant to penetrate, and
which is as impervious as q stone to air
and moisture. By deep plowing and
subsoiling, This hard pan is broken, (not
brought to the surfacc,) the loan or veg
etable mould of the top soil desccnds to-,
and is partially incorporated with it, it
becomes accessible to the air and light,
and acquires the character and properties
of mould.
Few people who have not given the
subject special study are aware of the
depth to which the roots Of plants will
go in search of food and moisture, if the
soil is so broken as to allow them to pen
citrate it. 1t is an ascertained fact that
the roots of corn will extend to the depth
of five or six feet; wheat, three feet :;
cotton, four or FIVE feet; clover, three
feet; turnips and carrots, three feet; and
lucern, 10 depth of twenty feet 1t is
undeniably true that the deeper the soil,
the deeper the roots of plants viii! de-
scend, and the deeper the roots can pene-
trate the more vigorous and productive
will be the plants. "Deep culture and
thorough pulverization of the soil,' says
Governor Bowie, of Maryland, are
amongthe rudiments of good husbandry."
After deep plowing, the next conside-
ration is the width Of the sfurrow slice"
+, In old plowed land very narrow furrow
is most desirable, and in stubble or sod,
where it is intended to completely invert
the surface and turn under all the vegeta-
BILE matter, the furrow-slice, to turn over
we'll, should be IN width equal TO one.
third more than its depth, and should be
laid over, one upon the other, ut an anglo OF
forty-five degrees, so as to leave the lar.
gest possible surface of the upturned soil
10 the influences of the atmosphere.
An eminent Scotch agriculturist says
correct blowing should possess the follow
ing characteristics F: