The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-04
House, Farm ard Garden.
EIGHT YEARS OF DEEP TILLAdE.

EIGHT YEARS OF DEEP TIlbAnE.
The Practical Farmer gives the de-
tails Of the experience of Mr.. Samuel NJ
Wherry in sub-soiling. which extended
over period Of eight years. The farm
is located in Pennsylvania, heavy clay.
and rolling, with limestone cropping out
frequently, ard everywhere lying within
four to eight feet of the surface soil six
to eight inches deep, and rich; subsoil
yelowish red clay, almost impcrvious to
water, imTenetrablc to plant roots, and
invuncrable to common plow points Mr..
Wherry says that the benefit OF suh.soil-
ing can not be determined with precision,
nor is it to be measured by the gain or
loss in immediate succeeding crops Sub.
soiling is prospective; it is u part of an
extended system Of high farming, and
not to be judged of alone. It is neither
the philosophers stone, nor the harbinger
Of an agricultural millennium. If it does
not prove positively damaging in its i'm
mediate effects there needs but the ex.
orcisc Of little faith to try it. Mr..
Whcr:y concludes by giving the follow
ing statement OF the results of subsoiliug
on his land, and the deductions iherefrom:
Corn In ordinary seasons an appre-
cable gain in yield, but 10 seasons ofex.
trema drouth gain Of so to 80 per cent.
n all seasons there is Il notable DISPOSE
ton on the part of the corn on the sub
soiled ground to continue green. and not
even the blades turning until the frost
comes; consequently the ears do not
harden so well on the standing corn, and
care is required in cutting up But the
corn comes out all right at huSking time,
and the fodder is superb.
Whcat-A slight gain in yield, due
to increased length of head. The straw
is very materially sitter and brighter,and
the grain ripens from six to eight days
earlier. This is decided advantage
here
Timothy aud clover-Separa,e and
mixed \ large increase in yield, but
greatly at the sacrifice of quality In
dry seasons, such rs 1866 and 1867, a
gain of 100 per cent. The stems on sub
soilcd ground are much longer, coarser
and harder cure, while the leaves have a
ocular aud very distinct sickly blush
green color. Clover never seems to reach
a state Of maturity--never comea to full
bloom-ior the reason that green stems
are all the while shooting up and over
shadowing the blossoms. In 1870 SUBJ
soiled land, after first moving, bloomed
simultaneously, and yielded fair crop
of clover seed The other half of the
field was barren The season was dry.
1t is certain that cattle and sheep prefer
the sub-soiled side of the field in pastur-
ing the aftermath, the only pasturing
done.
In relation to other points he says :
Spring blowing can be commenced on
sub oiled land from three to six days
earlier than on land not sub.soiled. AT.
ter.plowings are much lighter on the
teams, but the pillow does not run so
steadily, and the burrows break irregu-
larly, leaving the plowed surface ragged
and uneven. In blowing oat stubble for
wheat, deep, as is done, considerable Of
the previously broken sub-soil is thrown
to the top in very hard Jumps, nocessitat.
ing much additional labor in preparing o
proper seed bed, This has been the most
serious difficulty encountered"
The most serious fact observed is that
the clover plant on sub.soiled does moi
as on land not sub.soled, send down YER
ticaly single long, carrot-shaped tap.
root. ending in a struggling bunch Of if
regular rootlets; but the primary roo
begins almost Immediately to divide of
i into many (six, eight and ten) side
branches These main roots do not de
scenl vertically into the ground, but in
: cline strongly outward from the primary
, and fil the whole surface soil with thread
ike roots. The difference is quite OBJ
, servabe some time after blowing is done
when the unsub-soiled parts are covered
with the several roots. standing uprIgh
in the air like armed sentincls of tn
X oil while the sub-soled parts are ap
= parently as devoid of roots as suitable
l ground, 4 closer inspection showed tn
y true state of the case, and it is probabl
T. that cubic foot ofsub.soiled ground vii
p contain in weight more than twice a
: much root matter as a cubic foot of un
> sub soiled.
l. One of the important points ia thi
= connection is that farmers must not ex
: pect immediate benefit ia every case from
; sub-soili1g; but there is no doubt, iron
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