Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-05-16
DEEP FLOWING.

breach it to exclusion from and the anathema
Of that orthodox agricultural sect
whereof the quidnuncs Of the New York
Farmers Club are the high priests, and the
New York Tribune is Tor was) the recogniz.
ed organ.
1t has been a mercy that the difficulty Of
applying this universal panacea of deep
blowing has prevented many farmers from
running their land by putting it in practice.
But so universal and dogmatic has been the
teaching, that to double our crops it is only
necessary to double the depth to which we
run our plows, that those who don't practice
it have felt compelled to believe in it, as a
revealed truth, and tc feel guilty every
time they take out the pillow, because they
cannot run it beam deep, and have second
team following with a subsoiler.
We see that hard facts have convinced at
least one of the deep blowing theorists of
his error, and the handsome way in which
COL Waring comes out with his acknowledge
ment in the AgricultUria for May, deserves
hearty appreciation. The Colonel, after a
most careful experiment of deep blowing I'M
der extremely favorable circumstances, (the
field being thoroughly underdrained) esti-
mates his loss in labor and crops for FIVE
years, on an eight acre field, at eight hundred
dollars. And he only went ten inches deep.
He says, had he plowed five inches instead
of ten, five years ago. he would have had as
good stand Of grass on the field the first
year, as he has now, after heavy annual
manuring for the whole five years. His cx-
perience is the experience of hundreds.
1t is strange, and shows how little farmers
observe and reAect-how little they exercise
the power of independent thought-that a
Procrustean theory like this of deep blowing
should have received such universal currency
and acceptance, so that only now and then
an independent man, in a farmers club, or
agricultural meeting, has dared, in a hesitat-
ing way, to question it; usually with the
consequence of a verbal Gaming at the hands
of some jealous disciple.
The depth to which we should pillow
piece Of land can be regulated by no rule.
1t depends upon great variety of circum-
stances. 1t should vary with the nature Of
the soil and subsol, with the kind of crop to
be grown, and with the climate. These are
facts that, to the practical man, need only to
be stated to ensure their acceptance. The
knowledge of them comes from experiment,
and comedies with experience it is also
confirmed by science Yet they are wholly
disregarded by hundreds Of writers and talk
ers, who, so far as they have had any inAu-
ence, have had an evil one upon the minds
of the farmers, darkening couasel by words
without knowledge.
Thcre are farms here and there, or por-
tions of farms, alp over the country, which
may be deeply plowed without injury, and
sometimes, or for some crops, with advantage.
These are usually alluvial lands, of which
the composition is uniform for considerable
depth. 1t often happens on this kind OF
land, when apparently run out" that
deeper furrow will greatly increase the crop.
But such is not the character Of any of our
hill land, and OF but part Of that usually
called valley land. The surface soil Of these
latter is entirely distinct in character from
their subsoil, which while it may contain some
elements Of fertility, contains them in such
small proportions, or in such insolu-
BILE combination as to be generally in
furious to crops when brought to the surface
or mixed with the top layer Of earth. 1t is
sometimes possible, though not so generally
as is believed, to deepen a shallow soil by
taking up little Of the subsoil every year.
Whether it will pay to do this in any given
case can only be ascertained by careful ex'
periments and calculation. Some subsoils
are actually poisonous to crops, and field
may be rendered worthless for a generation
by careessy or Intentionally running P low
into them. On the whole we believe the
best and surest subsoiler we have is the clo'
yer plant. Its long roots will 60 down, il
most subsois, aud bring up not only the fer
tiizing elements naturally deposited there
but also, in light soils, u good deal Of fertil
izing matter that has leached downward, be.
low the reach Of grain crops and common
grasses. BY rotation into which clover
enters, very much larger average can be
given to the crops than when it is left out
other things being equal. We were much
amused, this spring, by the remark OF
plowman who was turning over field for u
IN which clover ley had been plowed undel
last spring for corn. why" said he
chow rich this rolls up; it would do fol
wheat" He thought we had been manurlnG
it very heavily, when in fact nothing Blu
mineral fertilizers and clover seed had beer
put upon it for six years.
The depth to which the pillow should b,
run depends to a considerable extent upoI
the crop to be grown. Grain crops do bes
with rich, shallow seed bed, in perfec
filth and free from weeds For roots, OIL
the contrary, we want to go as deep as tn,
soil will admit Shallow soils are not adapt
cd to roots, and when it is necessary to grow
them on such soils, it is best to ridge tn,
ground for the rows. Level culture is bes
for potatoes, land indeed for all crops,l whel
the soil is deep and dry. But some are try
ing to make this, like deep blowing, surfac
manuring, and other hobbies general rule
1t will not work So
Climate makes great difference in regar