The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-05-03
A Fapcr on FIouEnIHE,

Vas upon r"Ploughing and its ahect npon
difefent.soils- at different ssssons,g and
che debate was openedfby the following
interesting and practical essay npon the
subject by Or. John p. Fur,nan, ;of1
Sumter: - 9'eeSS u SNSt!tttilss; 81,
MR. PRESIDENT AND GBrr1rMKN OF
THE SOCIETY: There are two points in
which 4 conceive our practice Of sgri-
culture has been particularly deficient.
These are winter preparation. and modes
of ploughing. With many it, has been
customary to allow the spring to-be far
adva need, or at least. the winter to be
pretty well spent. ere kheaAreaeas Of pre-.
paration begins;- indeed, this is merged
in that ol cultivation, aud the corn rs
growing srs the land is broken up, and
the cotton is up on part Of the plauta.
ton before the earth has been Atted' for
its reception on the balance,
Aohapge Of circumstances involves The
necessity for change Of modes. We
once had virgin lands aud cheap and re-
liable labor. Then, il ever, the exten-
sive and superficial system had it's ad.
vantages. for (though ultimately de-
structive) it often gave large immediate
returns. Now, with, to a large extent,
exhausted and denuded fields. and uure-
stoot0 oao SAp0uolto AaoOT " COut0ud
with, it becomes necessary to obtain pre-
sent support, and accomplish the uiti.
mate improvement Of the land, thut we
resort to other modes and applianoes-
that the extensive give. place to the in
tensive-thnt we plough early and plough
deep.
For what do We plough? This may
seem trite question, but it opens a
wide field for inquiry, observation and
reflection. What do we plough for. and
how and when should we do it? We
plough to pulverize the earth, whereby
the delicate. hair-ike roots Of plants
may ramify and extend in every direc.
ton, thereby obtaining ample pasturage
to feed upon. And here the advantages
of deep plonghing will at once be appa-
rent. The man who breaks his land
eight inches deep gives his plants twice
the pasturage that he does who breaks
but four, and he who penetrates twelve
trebles the sonrces of supply.
We plough to let in the air aud sun,
that We may secure the fertilizing pro-
perties of the one. and the vivifying and
ameliorating action OF the other, and we
should plough deep, in order that these
beneficial influences may be extended to
a greater area OF root pasturnge. The
air contains ammonia and oarbonic acid,
both highly essential to the growth Of
vegetation. They are rapidly and in
quantities absorbed by porous bodies,
while compact bodies appropriate little
or none of these; therefore. by thorough
and deep communion of the soil, we
greatly increase the amount of these
bodies taken up and held by the land
They act also as solvents upon many of
the constituents of the soil, thus prepar-
ing them to be taken up and assimulated
by the plant. We should plough deep,
in order that these benefits may be ex-
tended to large bulk OF soil.
We plough deep, thnt our lands may
be saved from washing; and that the rain
water may not run off. carrying with it
it's fertilizing properties as we'll as those
OF the soil it reaches, Rain water, as
we'll as the atmosphere, abounds in car
bonio acid and ammonia, and by enabling
it fully to penetrate the earth, wo secure
these valuable Ingredients.
We plough to turn under vegetation
(dry Or greenj and to bury the seeds of
no1ious plants. BY running deep, we
increase the depth Of our soil, and cover
up these seeds 80 far from the Influence
of air, heat and light, that comparatively
few germinate, and those that do, come
up slowly and in siokly condition, and
are easily destroyed, thereby lessenipg
the labor Of cultivation.
By ploughing deep, we not only turn
under and give comparative rest to the
surface soil, (Which has 30 long been
drawn upon,) but bring up snb-sur.
face, which has, perhaps, never been dis
turbed by the plow-into which the
roots of cultivated plants have pene-
trated but little, and which contains
much of what has been drained from the
surface soil. In soils as light and sandy,
las are those cultivated by many of us,
the high winds of March and April
carry of quantities of the light surface,
thereby rapidly exhausting the land of
humus, which is its life blood. By deep
winter ploughing. we turn up yalueless
surface, which, if blown of, is small
loss, as there is an inexhaustible supply
left. And here would draw distinc-
ton between the ploughing OF prepara-
ration and that OF cultivation. The one
belongs to winter, and should be deep;
the other to spring and summer, and
should be shallow.
1t is true, that the term deep plough
ing is altogether comparative. What