Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-05-17
Deep Flowing.

taking 10 q group OF clOdhOpperS,
like myself, about deep plowing.-
We stood with our mouths open,
and our hands thrust deep into our
pockets, absorbing his wisdom
much as we inhale air, without STOP
ping to think whether there is any
"pison" in it or not. He is going
in for steam plows now, strong, and
as long as he lives. he says. He
has seen them turning up the stiff
clay and alluvium, below New Or
leans, two feet deep; and that turn,
ed up soil produced extraordinary
crops the same season.
"Why, sir, l can take one of those
steam plows right out ON the prair-
ies-on new prairie, where they
think land must not be broken
more than three inches deep at first
and turn it up two feet, and grow
good crops on it every time"
That is what Farmer Greeley
said. l mildly asked what time of
year he would pillow to get good
crop the first season.
"Any time" was his laconic re-
ply"
1 suggested that he couldn't get
good crop ifhe tickled and rolled
over that virgin prairie soil two feet
deep in the Spring and seeded it.
But Farmer Greeley said he
could; and l replied that l had seen
little Of that sort Of Spring plow-
ing done on the virgin prairies, and
the first crop rarely paid for har-
vcsting-that the cold subsoil turn
ed to the surface in the spring,
would not furnish a seed-bed, in
which, saturated with water, uner-
ated, sour, uncivilized seeds would
terminate and plants grow success
fully the first season. had seen
it done twelve inches deep on the
Illinois river bottom lands, and on
the banks of the Mississippi, and on
the clays of Du Page and Cook
counties, ILL.,, and even on the light
or lands found in some parts OF Kc-
nosha county, Wis, bat it would
not do. If plowed deep any time
from July to November, and allow
ed exposure to rain and frost du-
ring Winter, it would produce very
well the season following, and still
better the second season. l seri-
ously thought, though did not say,
that my fellow-farmer Greeley's
talk was not as wise as it ought to
be. l did humbly suggest, how
ever, that while l was an earnest
advocate of deep blowing, felt sure
that the time and manner of plow-
ing deep, as well as the kind Of soil
treated, had much to do with the
immediate results to follow.
"But," said my friend, show do
you account for the increase of
crops the first season, on lands
plowed two feet deep, in Louisi-
ana?"
"Easy enough" replied, grow
ing somewhat bolde.; "those lapds
lie under a tropical sun, are of a
more uniform temperature the year
round, do not get filed with frost;
nor sodden and soured with water;
even if they do, the action Of the
sun upon them, when turned to the
surface, is intense, and seed planted
quickens under its influence as it
will not in more temperate climates.
There is no parallel in the condi-
tons"
l was glad to hear that jolly far
mer, Quinn, tell little story, illus
trating the impregnability of my
position at this point. He said a
good Quaker farmer wrote to the
late Prof. Mapes one spring, asking
his advice for his son, as to how
deep he should pillow his fiftccn-acre
field of corn. Prof. Mapes replied,
Gas deep as you can get the pillow
in" In the Fall the Prof. received
an indignant note from the Quaker,
which began, "Thee ought to be
burned; we followed thy directions
and our crop is failure" Prof.
Mapes said in reply that his Quaker
friend would apologize for his in
temperate language within two
years; and sure enough he did, for
the second and third years the re-
ward of deep blowing came, and
the Mapes' stock went up in the
Quaker's family.
So you see, Mr.. Editor, if one can
wait one season or two, turning
over the soil deep in Spring will
pay; but suppose one cannot wait?
Then turn surface furrow three to
six inches deep, and follow with a
subsoil pillow in the same furrow,
letting it run III as deep as the
teams can draw it. Then all of the
good, and none of the i'll effects Of
deep turning will be realized the
first season, for it is not always
wise to invert the subsoil. OF
course it depends upon the charac.
ter and texture of the surface soil.
ventured to say to my friend
Greeley that vast amount of dis
gust to farmers, and loss to the ag-
gregate production of tho country,
had resulted from recommending
deep blowing unqualifedly, and
without accompanying such recon-
mendation with Suggestions as to
the time, mode, and manner in
which it should be done at different
seasons and in different soils-that
a steam engine is good thing, but
that if man does not know how to
use it, it may result in the burning
or blowing up of himself or his
buildings, or both; and that hoped
that great public teachers like him
self would be as discriminating in
their agricultural as in their politi-
cal teachings.
Things Worth knowing.