Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-04
PAPERS BY DIR. GORDON-NO. I.
Agriculture Geology of Middle Ten
ueSsee
sUBsOIL FLOWING.

sUBsOIL FLOWING.
To the Editors Of the Union and American:
In the last article l said, it is best to
lay off no land in subsoil blowing. The
reason is this: All plows run deeper
when going down hill than up hill, there
fore one half of every land, CHATS plow-
ed up hilD will be too shallow. But if
no lands be taken, then every deep down
hill furrow, will be close by the side of
the last up hill furrow, and the whole
field will be sgell drained. For this pur-
pose, the foremost plow must not have a
mould board. A shovel OF wide built
tongue would he better. But the SAME
good work may be done with a mould
board pillow, by taking land, and running
around with it as is usual, while the sub
soil plow runs in the opposite direction.
The two teams will meet in every round,
and one must turn out to let the other
pass.
When field has been subsoiled up and
down hill while breaking up, the after
blowing to make the crop, may be done
mostly across the hill. 1t will be shallow
work, and viii net fill up the deep under
drains made by the subsoil pillow. In fact
these deep vents will remain open for
several years, and continue to drain the
land, keep it loose and prevent washing.
We have now set forth many advan-
tlges of subsOil blowing. Let US look
into other modes of draining which have
been put into practice. To prevent
washing the hilsides, some farmers dig
several bitches across the hill, to catch
and drain the Tainwater off into gullies
or ravines on either side. Unless the
bitches are very wide and very deep, hard
rains will overflow them in some places,
and there the washing will be great. But
if any ditch have fall enough to prevent
its overflow, then it vii itself soon be
washed into an ugly, deep and impossible
gully. This plan does not pay for the
labor
Horizontal plo1oing has been extern
sively adopted to prevent washing. Its
principle is to drain ADORE ground, and
ia therefore unnatural Nature has
alany rise provisions to under drain
11nd. Nature freezes and thaws the soil
20 loosen it and let rain water go down
through it. Nature covers the surface
with plants, 10 pierce the soil deeply with
their numerous roots, which leave holes
when they rot, to let rainwater pass freely
down. Nature employs numerous worms
and insec's 10 bore holes to a great depth
in the subsoil, to let rain water pass free
y down from the surface. ThuNs ature
confines to nOiSten bit not to aDet the
surface soil, and convey AL surplus wa
ter through deep vents to make perma-
nent springs run out at the base of hills,
cool and free from all impurities. In
part the hills were made for this purpose.
But where man tills the earth awkwardly,
and packs the surface, 50 as TO drain off
the rain water above ground, he disturbs
all these natural processes. He makes
mud of the soil, and with it stops all
vents downward; fore the water to run
upon the surface and wash gullies, then
TO run hastily TO the ocean, leaving the
surface 10 bake, the growing crops to
langujsh, AID the springs to fail. The
wise Governor Of all nature seldom sends
down too much rain water where man
rightly tills the earth to receive it. The
interest aud duty of the farmer is to be
always resdg for rain, having his farm
prepared to let the water pass down as
fas as it fall
Let as Loo carefully al the effects of
plowipg eros rdehJilsiiss Every furrow
il 3 tr,u-l, hayIng ridge on IFS lower