The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-10-28
M!Mhe Eatttt,
GOOD TILLAGE.

In the head line of one of our agricul-
tural papers may be seen every week the
broad statement that "good tillage is
manure There is in this statement a
good de al of truth very concisely expressed.
While good tillage is not really manure it
is capable of greatly aiding manure in its
work, and, under certain conditions, may
be made in a great measure to take its
place. There is no doubt that with good
culture as large crops can be produced with
small quantity of manure as can be ob-
tanned with a much larger application of
fertilizers and inferior tillage. 1t is well
established fact that very large crops have
been grown on ordinary land without ma
nuring, and that the only reason of this
success was the thorough tillage which was
given. Even worm out fields have been
made by extra culture to produce fine
crops. Many years ago we read of an
Irishman who bought a little patch of light
land, which had been so thoroughly ex-
hausted as to be considered incapable of
producing a paying crop. He determined
to SOW the piece with rye, and long before
the time for sowing lie might have been
seen almost every morning while the dew
was on blowing the field. After a while
he stopped blowing, remarking that if he
should plow it any more the rye would
lodge. The neighbors thought this was
good specimen of Irish intelligence and
made great deal Of sport over it. They
were confident that he would not get rye
enough to pay for his work. But the rye
came up and grew, and when large yield
was harvested the neighbors concluded that
the Irishman knew a great deal more than
they thought he did. They could not &C
count for it, but the fact was before them
and they could not deny it. Finally they
came to the conclusion that blowing when
the dew was on was the chief cause of the
large yield, but it was not the dew so much
as it was the filming of the soil, which pro
duced the heavy crop. Under the ordinary
system of culture the soil had become
exhausted, but considerable plant food still
remained in clods and Jumps, which the
rootlets of the plants could not penetrate,
and consequently could not obtain. But
the constant blowing and replowing of the
field pulverized these clods and set the
plant food free. The rye was able to obtain
and utilize it, and consequently was very
productive. case somewhat similar once
came under our own observation. A man
leased tract of land, which was cold and
wet and produced nothing but sour grass
and weeds. He dug some bitches, plowed
the land and narrowed it with great deal
of care, and planted it with corn. lie had
but little manure and on much of the piece
no fertilizer except plaster and ashes. But
he finely pulverized the soil before planting,
and cultivated and hoed the crop very often
during the season. The neighbors were
confident that he would not have any corn
on that piece of land without manuring it,
but he did obtain a fine crop, and when the
and a good crop of hay was obtained
This was almost wholly owing to good til
lage, for without manure the land would
not with ordinary culture have produced
half crop. Such cases are common enough
to prove beyond doubt that good tillage
is capable of largely increasing the produc-
ton Of the land, and farmers ought to take
advantage of this. OF course we do not
advise any one to neglect to manure his
land and rely upon good culture to produce
good crops. All crops are obtained at the
expense of either manure or soil, and if no
fertilizer is applied they will invariably
ipjure the land. The true way is to ma
nure well and also thoroughly cultivate the
crop. Thus the advantages of mapure and
culture may both be obtained.-Homestead.