The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-05-21

Court with directions to enter a
Judgment of : reversal, to: reverse
the judgment Of the Superior
Court of Randolph county, and
thereafter to proceed in conformity
to this opinion.
A PAPER ON PLODGH1NG.
It's Effect upon Different Soils at Diff.
f1rent Seasons.
An Essay Before the State, ATicaI
t,uul and Mechanical Society, By
DR.. John II. Fuun1an, Of Selater.
The first of the discussions be-
fore the State Agricultural Society,
at its session on Wednesday last,
was upon "Ploughing and its effect
upon. different soils al, different sea-
sons" and the debate was opened
by the following interesting and
practical essay upon the subject by
DR.. John H.. Furman, Of Sumter:
MIR. President and Gentlemen OF:
the Society-there are two points
in Which I conceive our practice OF
agriculture has been particularly
deficient. These are winter prepa-
ration and modes of ploughlng.
With many it has been customary
to allow the spring to be far ad-
vanced, or at least the winter to be
pretty we'll spent, ere the process
Of preparation begins; indeed this
is merged in that Of cultivation,
and the corn is growing ere land is
broken up, and the cotton is up on
part OF the plantation before the
earth has been fitted for it's recep-
ton on the balance,
A.. change of circumstances in
wolves the necessity for change OF
modes. We once had virgin lands
and cheap and reliable labor. Then,
if ever, the extensive and superf-
cial system had its advantages for
Though ultimately destructive) it
often gave large immediate returns.
Now, with to a large extent, ex-
hausted and denuded fields, and
unreliable and expensive labor to
contend with, it becomes necessary
to obtain present support, and ac-
complish the ultimate Improvement
of the l;nd, that we resort to other
modes and appliances that the
extensive give place to the intensive
that we plough early and. plough
deep, ,,,
For what do we plough? This
may seem trite question, but it
opens wide field for inquiry, OBJ
servation 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-like roots Of plants
may ramify and extend, in every
direction, thereby obtaining ample
pasturage to feed upon. And here
the advantages of d." p ploughing
will at once be apparer t The man
who breaks his land eight inches
deep, gives his plants twice the pas
turage that he does who breaks but
four, and he who penetra:es twelve,
trebles the sources Of supply. -
We plough to let in the air and
sun that we may secure the fertili-
zing properties 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 pasturage.
The air contains ammonia and car
bonic acid, both highly essential to
the growth of vegetation. They
are rapidly and in quantities abb
sorbed 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 thus preparing them
to be taken up and assimulated by
the plant. We should plough deep
in order that these benefits may be
extended to large bulk Of soil.
We plough deep that our lands
NAV be saved from washing; and
that the rain water may not run of,
carrying with it its fertilizlng prop.
critics as well as those of the soil it
reaches. Rain water as we'll as the
atmosphere abounds in carbonic
acid and ammonia, and by enabling
it fully to penetrate the earth, we
secure these valuable ingredients.
We plough to turn under vegeta-
ton (dry or green) and to bury the
seeds Of noxions plants, BY run
ming deep we increase the depth of
our soil, and cover up these seeds
50 far from the influences Of air,
heat and light, that comparatively
few germinate, and those that do,
come up slowly and in a sickly con-
dition, and are easily destroyed,
thereby lessening the labor of cul-
tivation.
By ploughing deep We not only
| turn under and give comparative