The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-09-23
SubsOiling.

As MUCH care and more is to be eXer-
cised in subsoil blowing as in surface
culture. The difficulty with our subsoil-
ing is, we do it when too wet. The II
face ground may be IN proper condition to
work-neither too moist nor too dry-and
yet the ground Immediately under may
be, and is apt to be, too wet. Plowed in
this condition, it will pack, or break up
in Jumps, leaving place for the water to
settle in, but not the thing for the roots of
plants; that requires a loose, uniform
texture, just what can never be gotten ex-
cept at the proper time, which is of CON-
paratively rare occurrence. In a drouth,
when not Of too long standing, is usually
a good time for subsoiling. OF course we
have reference to a clay soil, as sandy or
leachy land does not much require under
working. 1t is the clays, all or nearly all
of them, that require this, and they in
cessantly and urgently demand it. They
are cold, compact, and more or less wet
below; also sour and uninviting to plant
occupation.
Underworking of clay land cannot be
done in the spring or in a wet fall, neither
in a deep, severe drouth, when the land
becomes hard and cracked. 1t is too
stubborn then for the pillow, either above
or below. Sometimes a whole season will
forbid underwriting, the ground being
too wet; nearly the same may be said of a
season of severe drouth. The point be-
tween, neither too wet o too dry, is the
only time that it is proper to subsoil land
and do it deeply; that is, break up to a
good depth the wild, raw soil that has
never been disturbed by the pillow, which
is the case with most land.
1t is not, therefore, to be wondered at
that subsoiling is mott better repute. 1t
has been done at random, ignorantly. The
bad soil below has been made worse.
Some pulverulent close clays have been
converted into mortar beds. A more COM
pact and impervious condition too often
results. Now and then, however, there is
a favorable report, showing that the thing
can be done. There wants a proper width
of the pillow to loosen all the soil-not
leave ridges between the passages. And
there needs the second blowing oftenest,
and sometimes the third. This will be
objected to On account of the labor it in
wolves, and the objection has its force.
But the operation need not be repeated
every year, varying in frequency
what according to the nature of the land.
A good loosening of the soil will admit
warmth, and to some extent air which was
before excluded. The warm rains will
pass through it and start decomposition.
The frosts will further be a benefit. In
other words you have two farms overlap
ping each other, united in resisting the
drouth and disposing of the excess of wa
ter, the latter, however, only fully accom-
plished by the further aid of ~underdrain-
ing; and it needs this to give full play to
subsoiling.
We have stated what the condition of
the soil (undersoiD must be, namely, the
point between the wet and the dry, always
avoiding the wet, yet sometimes admitting
of the dry, where not obstinate, and yield
ing to a mellow condition. And this last
must be the fleet aimed at, as it is in the
culture ofthe upper soil-mellow through
out, increasing largely the amount of the
tillable soil. All work on the farm re-
quires to be done well, but this calls, per
haps for the most care of any. Some
soils, of course, will not admit of subsoil-
ing at all. These are the constantly wet
(bclow). Drainage is the only remedy
here. Unless we drain our land more and
subsoil more, we shall remain far from a
full realization of the advantages which
our land has in store for us.-N. Y. 77ib-
me.