The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-09-02
Ghe1ltelli1qstr
When and How 10 plow.

The National Granger says: Now that
the crops are "laid by" and the farmer
has time to think little before he begins
to prepare for the work Of another. year.
suppose he listens to the experience gath
cred from n practical, thinking farmer,
upon the subject of Cultivating lands, and
first to few words asto when and how 10
pillow.
The fall is, without doubt, the best
time to faIlow lands for spring planting,
and to "break up" all kinds Of sOds or
weedy soils. The weather is then cool,
and the farmer il less busy than he is in
the spring Of the year. The inverted fur
rows arc subjected TO the disintegrating
influences Of tho winter frosts, and fdone
late the grub worms and insects thatmo-
lest tho crops will be killed by the freezes,
and millions Of eggs laid by lilies and the
seeds Of parasite plants will perish by the
cold. The winter rains and SHOWS will
also yield up to the pulvcrized soil many
chemical elements to be used in the sum-
mer as plant food that would otherwise
be washed away and forever lost.
FIR other blowing, no definite time can
be assigned, and each planter must be
governed by the exigencies Of the occa-
sion. But no farmer should ever pillow
land when it is too wet, lest it bake and
become sodden, like sunbnrnt brick,
and loses the friabIc nature Inherent 10
all loamy soils. Neither should lands be
plowed when too dry, as the pillow then
runs hard, givingmuch extra labor to the
team, and unnecessary friction to the plow,
besides making the fallOw cloddy and
difficult for future cultivation.
The team should be always fully able
10 do the work intended, 80 rs to draw the
pillow with ease. 1t is not only distressing
to animals to be urged on beyond their
strength, moving ut snail gait, and kept
in motion by the swing Of the whip, but
it causes an unnecessary wear and tear
Of muscular fibre that must be replaced
hv more food and rest, or there will be
"brokcn down stock" The team must
be so hitchcd to the pillow rs to secure the
hest advantage iOr the highest draft. EX-
pericncc has shown that the most dcsir-
able elevation of chain il ut an angle OF
about twenty degrees with the plane OF
the burrows bottom. When necessary
d-op.link will regulate in double teams
the proper elevation.
When oxen are used proper attention
should be paid TO the length Of tho yoke,
for frequently long or short yoke will
materially change, not only the ease OF
draft, but the set Of the pillow, and, congo
quently the depth aud smoothness oil the
burrows.
The cutting edges OF the plow should
always he in fine order, and made OF good
steel that will wear, for il ia much cheap
or to cut than to tear the furrow.slice
from its bed, TO say nothing Of tho clog
cling and sliding and increase Of draft, all
Of which is detrimental to good blowing.
The draft il affected by u dull shear and
coulter not less than 30 per cent, SO that
any farmer can see how necessary II is to
keen his shear and coulter sharp.
The depth Of the plowing must DO gov.
erned by circumstances the nature oil
the soil, and any other reasons that may
exist ut the time. But as u general rule,
deep blowing Is nearly always preferable,
and the deeper the better on all iallow,
weedy, or sod lands. In such cases, eight
ten, or twelve inches are the best-in or
binary blowing seven inches will do very
well. and four inches for skimming. The
width Of tho burrows for ordinary plow-
ing should be about as one and half to
its depth; say a furrow is eight inches
,leep, then it should be twelve or thirteen
irches wide, which will make the lap OF
f"rows not too much for thorough pull
veTIzation and killing ofgrass.
one other essential point Of cultivating
I,nJisto always pillow the crops before
The land gets foul with weeds or grass, for
oTs Having 10 keep crops clean is worth
,,S,d ian three to them when foul. Rec
coIiset lie oldadage, ALE who plows earl
ieat and post make. the most corn"