Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-01-19

The soil is commonly divided into two
groups or beds, namely: Surface soil
and subsoil. The surface soil is so much
of the top part of the ground as we can
stir or turn with a good plow and strong
team; say twelve to fifteen inches. The
subsoil is the dirt below the surface soil,
as far down as the roots of farm crops
and fruit trees can penetrate say three
feet. These soils are both primarily
made of the crumbling rocks. But trees
and plants rot on the ground, and furnish
vegetable matter, which mixes with the
surface soil and makes it dark in color
and more porous and loose. The stmos-
phere also penetrates every part of
loose surface soil, and chemically aids in
converting the materials of the soil into
suitable food for farm crops.
In the operation of tillage, the clay and
fine sand of the surface soil sink down
below the blowing depth, and mix with
the subsol and make it closer. In many
places where the clay is supersbundant it
makes the subsoil water tight; and where
sand is superintendent it makes the sub
soil too porous to retain the vegetable
matter above it. In the former case,
stagnant water stands in the subsoil all
the year round, which is poisonous to the
roots of plants and trees; in the latter
case the vegetable matter, lime and potash
of the surface soil sink down below the
roots of farm crops, and then the surface
soil is poor and unproductiVe. When the
subsol is too close 1t forces most of the
rain water to run off above it, and very
hasty showers thus running off above the
subson will wash away the surface soil and
form gullies. Butavery good proportional
subsol will prevent all these bad results.
1t is neither water tight, nor will it per-
NIT the fertile elements above to sink
down through it. 1t is close filter,
which will permit rain water to filter
slowly through it, and retain the vegeta-
BILE matter above it. Then there is no
stagnation, no washing or impoverishment.
Thus it is plain, that there is no good
farming land which has not a good sub
soil; and any farmer may correctly esti-
mate his own land from what we have
said.
But the assertion that stagnant
water is anywhere under the surface on
our hill sides, will look strange and IN
reasonable to some farmers; and when we
assert that our hillsides need draining, as
we shall do hereafter, they may regard it
as absurd and foolish. Yet there is
nothing in the whole course of farming
so important for the practical farmer to
understand as thenature of his own subsoil.
His practice In tillsge should be governed
by what he may find to be the nature of
his subsoiL. All who doubt he existence
of stagnant water in our hihsides NAV
satisfy themselves of their error by little
observation. They may notice spots in
their cOrnfelds in May and June, where
the corn becomes yellow or even whitish.
1t is said to be- "frenched." If they will
dig holes in these frenched spots two
feet deep, and leave them open twenty
four hours, they will find water at the
bottom of the holes. Then walk over
the apple orchard, and notice some trees
which do not grow well, having moss on
their trunks, rough bark near the ground,
and pale yellOwish green leaves. Dig
holes two feet deep near such trees, and
twenty-four hours afterwards, notice that
water is at the bottom of the holes.
Should any farmer do as here directed,
and find water on his hillsides, he will
have the plain proof that there is stsgnant
water in our steep hillsides. know that
in come spots, the corn dies from grub
worms eating the roots; but many spots
are Dot made yellow by worms, as any
farmer may prove by observation.
In localities where there is much coarse
gravel containing iron, the iron forms a
band of cement, between the lime, sand
and clay of the subsoil, and makes a
wster-tight bed, called by biologists
Conglomerate, but by experienced farm
ers, it is called Hard Pan. This hardpan
is formed below the blowing depth, where
land has been many years in cultivation.
In such localities, the land is rendered
unfit for any farm crop or for fruit trees.
And 1t will remGin unproductive, until
the energy of the farmer shall cause HIM
to break up the hard pan, so as to let rain
water pass down through it. The hard
pan is more frequently formed where the
land is nearly level, than on hill sides.
In our next article, we shall examine
the cheapest and best mode of draining
land. Any reader of the UNION AND
AMERICAN, who has read carefully all
that has been said of the Geology of
Middle Tennessee, can now see the i'm
portance and necessity of draining.
F. II. GoRDoS
JENNINGS Fork, Smith CO., Jan. 1871.
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