The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-10-10

FALL PLOWING.-The object of all
blowing is either to kill weeds, cover
manure, or the trash of previous crops,
pulyerize the soil, and render it open to
the influences that are constantly work
ing by which it may be disintegrated
and made p~crmeable to gates. Frost is
one of the prime agencies, i'll connection
with moisture, in breaking down the
cohesion of stiff soils disintegrating and
rendering them liable and permeable to
the air, the oxygen Of which is the great
destroyer and at the same time the great
Regeneration. A soil, sou and infertile
through putrefactiOn or other agencies,
is hereby ~oXygenated and rendered fer
tile; forwhen the putrefaCtiOn is changed
to an 0xidating process, carbOnic acid,
one of the prime constituents of plants,
is rendered available; this only one of
the chemical changes produced by the
action of the air upon soils.
What we call mechanical changes in
soils are fully as important as the chemi-
cal ones although the mechanical char
ges are but few in number. By "me-
chanical conditions OF Soils" in nearly
every case, it is simply meant to convey
the idea of a want of, or locking up of
chemical action as for instance, a soil
plowed wet becomes baked through
thermic force, or heat, and drying winds,
and is thereby rendered infertile. The
mechanical action connected Herewith
is simply the turning of the soil. Ifdry,
it is rendered permeable to the action of
the air, chemical force. If wet, it bakes
through chemical force and becomes dry
and ~infertile. But, if plowed in the fall
other action is again set up through
freezing and subsequent thaWing, and,
through chemical action the soil is
again disintegrated and fitted for the
~sustenanCe OF crops.
That system OF plowing which will
leave the soil in the toughest state will
mind as the most titfOr winter exposure,
Therefore blowing into lands, leaving
the burrows as rough is possible, has
long been adopted. Observation has
b shown it to be the best, it being the re-
suit Of experiment.. Man has been led
r on to other experiments which have re,
suited in the demonstration of facts
that leave no doubt Of great benefit Of
fall blowing GA heavy loans and stiff
) clay. Cogent conclusions have beer
t drawn as to the real cause Of the bene.
fits SO resulting.
In determining the depth of fall pillow
!, ing, every farmer must decide for him
{ self. The mistake most usually made il
that land may be plowed to an indefinite
depth in the fall; when in fact, there i
no question which will allow q NOR,
careful study than the depth to Whicl
must suffice. It the surface soil be ligh
: and spongy, as is sometimes the cas-
with some of our prairie soils, and ella,
s lie at such @ distance under the surfac
e that it may be reached By the pillow ant
t q thin slice can be thrown on top to Civ
cohesion to the surface, we'll and good
f but the indisCriminate blowing to
q great depth of prairie land wOult
only resultin injury to the soil for man
years.
The Western Rural in it's articles O
surface drainage and blowing, hereto
Q fore has held the necessity OF plowin
IS into lands all lots subject to saturatlo
It with water at certain seasons of tn
year, lf these articles have been care
o fully read and considered, the ideas EN-
braced in the present one will be appa
rent. The real value OF fall pl0Win
consists first in doing o certain amour
u Of work, that may ho done as we'll {
# better in the autumn as in the sprinl
It 1t is not the absolute lightness of tt
Il soil, which might better be rendered {
" ~fufiness, that constitutes fertility, b.
u it is permeability. This ~permeabilit
re may be just as marked, in o soil "a
T. ploWed, as IN one spring Dlowed Fl
% more SO if the spring plowings hay
L. been accomplished when too wet, as
ID often the case. A soil may be rendert
rs infertile if left, when plowed, too 30
lie or mellow. Hence the practice of rol
N ing such land, to compress it. IT
is effects of fall blowing are scarcely u
derstood by many good farmers, but
ct advocates will increase as the tn
causes which are brought to bear in d
d. operation are more carefully considere
In EWestern Rural.