Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1870-12-14

ing of manure and muck or clay, especial
ly for sandy soils, and by so doing am
convinced we can keep up the strength OF
our land better than in the old way. Clay
soils especially ought not to be plowed
any more than Is absolutely necessary,
then top-dress and they will bear good
grass for long time. | think, taking all
in all, we pillow more than we ought for
the good of our farms. ..
G. +. Small. Most of our land must
be powed as it is rough and not fit to
produce crops as nature left it. Clayey
or marty soil should be plowed in the fall,
Il would not pillow too carly, say from
Oct. Is to Nov. 10.
There are several reasons for fall plow-
ing. Tho action of the frost has great
effect on the soil in making it more easy
to work. Sometimes we think frost hin
ders us in the spring, but it helps much
more than it binders. Plow piece of
land in May or June and if 1t comes on
dry it will bake down and become hard to
work, very different from fall plIwed land.
Another argument for fall blowing is that
we have more time then than in our short
springs when all our help is needed to get
the crops in after the land is plowed our
teams, too. are usually in better condition
than they are after their winters work. |
would pillow almost all kinds Of land in the
fall
My land is sandy or graveIIy loan and
it does as well and | think better plowed
in the fall than in the spring. The sod
has more time to rot and the manure to
decompose when plowed in the fall. |
had a piece Of land of which about half
an acre was not plowed in the fall it was
MANFRED and worked just alike anc plant
ed to potatoes, and the fall planted yield
ed about twice as much per acre as the
spring.
We should pillow no more land than we
can improve aud manure properly, but no
general rule can be given as there is such |
a difference in the soil every farmer must
do what is best for his lands. Sandy or
graveIly soil is of en- powed too deep.
would like to pillow 10 or II inches if |
had plenty of manure but, if | have not
more than 25 Or 30 loads per acre do not
pIow over 5 or 6 inches.
I do not believe much in subsoil-plow-
ing,-the lifting of cold, dead soil from
depth of Is to 20 inches to the surface is
of no benefit in my opinion One of nay
ne hbors tried it for some years and cx-
perience brought him to the same con-
cluslon.
D. j. Stafford. Those who subsol now
do not raise the subsoil to the top but use
an instrument which stirs the soil without
raising it 10 the surface, so that the air
can penetrate it and to enable the soil to
resist drouth or wet weather better than
if not subsoiled. The subsoil pillow fol-
lows Immediately after the other in the
same furrow.
|. N. LeBaron. The time of blowing
is not so essential as the condition Of the
soil, 1t should be quite moist to d best. |
plowed piece Of land this spring, part
early and part late,-.at the time plowed
the last the ground was dry to the bottom
of the furroR SO it would run like meal,
while that first plowed remained moist
this land was corn s,ubbc, and it re-
manned comparatively the same through
the season.
A. G. West. One great reason as us
uNlly given for deep blowing is the ABSORB
ton by the land of moisture from the air,
especially in the night time. In dry sea-
sons the deeper land is powed the more
moist it will be, and plowed land will be
more moist than sward.
A. r. Bailey. Deep blowing acts some
what in the same manner as draining
Drains keep the land from excessive drouth
and carry off the surplus of water in rainy
weather, We should pillow all of our
rough lands and fit them for the mower
rake and then top-dress.
When TO pillow should be decided by the
soil. Sandy or gravelly land should be
.plowed in spring. as when plowe in the
fall, if the winters are open, much of the
surface soil will be blown off, especially |
on knobs and ridges. Stiff clays or clay
loans should be plowed in the fall, so the
frost may decompose the clods and make
them easy to work, and when once put
down they should remain so. sa
Some farmers will say what shall we do
for grain if we do not pillow, but for cattle
we can do better on early cut hay than
grain if we feed literally. The man who
made most butter per COW of any man in
N. Il. fed no grain. airaa e.s
w. s. Thorpe. take great interest