Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-22
FAIL PL0UGH.Ne.


A writer in Southern Farm and Home
says: - as
One Of the greatest defects of the present
system of hasbandry in the South, is the
almost total absence of fall ploughing. Not
one farmer in Thousand ever thinks Of
ploughing the land in The fall which ne is
going to put in corn aud cotton next spring.
If il has been in small grain this year the
grass and stubble are either dispastured 80
closely as 70 be perfectly bare until a calf
would starye to death on Il, or the grass
and weeds are allowed 10 grow and wither,
as If TO exhaust the soil as much as posi-
bic, and return nothing to it which can pos
sibly restore any part of the fertility of
which it has been deprived. Bad as this
is, however, it is better that the pasturipg
plan. -.t ..
If our farmers would take the advice you
have frequently given them in the "Fdr'n
and Home, namely: To SOW cOW-peas on
the stubble just after the grain is taken of,
plow them in, turning the ssubble under a.
the same time; then, before frost, plough
the vines under with a good coating of
quicklime on them to facilitate decomp0si-
ton, and leave the land thus exposed to the
melowing influences of the winter frosts,
they would soon find thst their corn-cribs
and gin-houses were fuller than before,
that they would not be "run to DEATH ia
the spring preparing for planting, and that
they could plant much earlier, and thus
gain time for plsDth-growth aud serati1g
and hasten The maturity of their crops.
look upon a fall ploughing turning IN
der the green growth while it is still green
and exposing the soil to the winter freezes
as equal to q good coat Of manure, apart
from the advantages Of early preparation.
There is no excuse for not doing this as
to land occupied By small grain crops.
These crops come off early in June, and
there is plenty Of time to turn under the
stubble and cross plough the land again
before frost, if We would only try to find it,
and would recognize the value Of the ope-
ration.
There is more reason for leaving our
corn-felds with the withered stalks, and
the frost-bitten tufts of grass standing all
the wiz ter, because when the corn and fod-
der are removed, the hands and teams are
generally occupied picking and preparing
the cotton crop for market. But even here
time could be fOuna by judici1us manage
ment to turn these stalks and grass under,
and leave the cornfelds to become en-
riched, loose and frisble, by the active in
fuences Of the rains and frosts Of winter.
The habits of letting cattle run loose in
the fields all the winter under the pretext
that they are finding pasture is en- absolute
bsrbarism. 1t does great iujury to the land
and it is slow mode of starving the wretch
ed cattle to death.
hold, Mr.. Editor, that good preparation
ofthe land is more than half the battle Of
crop raising, aud that poor crops are most
ly the result of poor preparation, although
the 'Eseason" generally comes in for the
blame. Were to work poor land and be
obliged to select the manure without fall
ploughing or fall ploughing without manure,
in the preparation OF the soil for planting il
spring, should choose the latter always,
ard be sure that l would come out ahaed Q,
those who relied on the former.
believe in stirring the soil, letting the
air, light, and moisture penetrate and cir
culate through it, and deposit there the
stores of fertility which the atmosphere so
bOuntifully supplies for plant-food.