Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-07-02

slb-soil ploughing is fully approved
~, it is considered less important than
10 break up the earth from Z to 10
Es3!shes, if the subsequent treatment is
kfz5perly attended to.
4 NJ writer's well aware, that there isa
ougfeeling of prejudice in the minds
Vmfny individuals, against this prac-
tice. What are the arguments of the
advocates of shallow ploughings They
Fay in so many words, ''our soil is only
- few inches deep, and if We do not
slough shallow. we shall turn up so
laueh clav or dead earth, as to raise no
rnp at MI" If two or three inches
q oil is buried in the spring. under
- e q - les Of clay, aud thus
7Ief1 Without fufsiier ali, or PFC y
tion for crop that season, the result
woald generally be as stated. That
shallow ploughing, enables the farmer
TO get clear much more readily of the
little soil or mould, he mas have no
his worn -out lands, is susceptible of
easy demonstration: nor is it less so,
/ that either in very eef or very dry
seasen, the crop from this cause, gem
eralk suffer.
1 Daring the summer months, the
greater portion of the rains fall hasti-
IIy; and whenever the ground is not
opened aud pervious to sufficient depth
/ 10 inbibc the whole. before the sur
plus water can penetrate, and be ab-
sorbal by the compact sub-soil. u large
portien Of the surface becomes fmid,
aud rapidly passes off. or washes
away" unless the land is perfectly
level. What remains. after being SO
thoroughly saturated, has tendency
to settle into a compact mass: soon
parting with its scanty supply of mois-
ture. under hot summers sun, and
rendering il imperyious TO the roots
of plants. If drought succeeds, u
soil 10 such state. eau afford but a mca-
gre supply Of moisture 10 nourish a
crog. aud AT period too. when the
grcsiest amount is needed. Nearly all
plsats imhibe more or less moisture
from the earth BY their roots, and If
tlss support is withheld, they cannot
entInue in healthy and vigorous
STATE; indeed so Necessary is this ele-
reut, that many of our grass seeds,
and plants, will not only vegeiate,
lat grow vigorously for a considerable
Isriol, with no other support to their
roots. than " hat can be derived from
pare water.
atm confident that in most of our
lands that have become sterile. the
cause is to b. attributed. more 10 sdal-
lssr ploughing. and wasAiag aEug Of
tae little soil they possessed, than TO
the extraction Of the vegetable nutri-
'nsssrs, hs The growth of plauts; in fact
II II almost necessary consequence
Of this l~ruIcIous practice. If the
tolliug farmer or planter is able To
purchase dressing Of mineral ina
nur,. oT fortunate enough to scrape
,ogether's scanty supply Of vegetable
matter from the resources Of the farm.
large portion og it Is carried off BY
the first jashing rain. to enrich still
morc, the beds of creeks aud ritxrs.
Having stated some of the disad-
santages which attend shallow plough
ing, we will now briefly enumerate
some Of the advantages of deep plough
ing, when jndieiously pursued.
In the successful cultivation of all
our crops. il Is necessary that ample
foesf bc provided, aud in an accessible
form; and that moisture, equally ne
etssary. be administered, in neither
too greaf nor too snail quantities.
This will probably be admitted by all.
and il is presumed the admission will
also be made, that the greatest amount
OF nourishment derived BY all our
field crops is from the earth. BY
deep ploughing. ii rarely occurs that
a fall of rain il SO great or sudden, as
completely to safarats the body of
earth acted on By the plough; and un-
til such is the case, but little danger
Is to be 'apprehended of washing
away and just Us little, that the
plants will so soon require renewal
of moisture, caused by evaporation
The soil much longer retains its loose
and friable texture, and enables the
roots readily to extend in all directions,
in search of their appropriate nourish-
ment; for the same reason, deep tilth
admits ofcloser proximity ofthe plants,
without sustaining equal injury from
drought, and turning yellow; or fring,
in common parlance.
| would ask the advocates of shall
low ploughing, or the skiaai,ig sys-
tenn, as it has been aptly termed, if
they have not observed the beneficial
effects of earths taken out of cellars,
wells, pits, &C., when applied to very
poor land? And have they II, OBJ
served a luxuriant growth of grass
and weeds on ditch banks and mill
races, even to the highest point, when
level enough to retain the moisture
that falls: have often noticed such
effects; and have almost uniformly
observed, that if earth thus taken from
below the surface, was capable being
pulverized by frost or tillage, increas-
ed fertility was the result. Such be-
ing the case, is there any valid reason
for supposing, that still nearer the
surface, so much difference can exist,
that while one will render the same
land sterile, the other will positively
enrich it? If advantage will result
from mixing with the soil, the earth
taken from many feet below the sur
tface-and that such is the case have
had repeated evidence, and using it
for this express Object cannot per-
ceive why portion of the same fer
tilizing property may not be found in
the earth, only few inches or foot
below the surface. And last, though
not least, in the catalogue of advan-
tages, the all important item of ma
manure, is rendered more available;
.nI onnroouaotly tha land Ia both i'm