Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1876-02-18
Working Heavy Soils When They Are
Too Wet. a

ONE of the most conspicuous errors in
the management of heavy land, where the
ground is disposed to be hard and lumpy,
is blowing or working the soil while it is
too wet. This is common source of evil
and the practice is persisted in. People
will put in their crops, rain or shine,
which is great and hurtful error. 1t
need scarcely be stated here that land
plowed wet in the spring and baked there
after, as it will be, becomes hard. This
is known, and yet each spring we see it
repeated. The same is the case in the
fall, when it is thought it will not hurt
land to turn it up wet, that the frost will
make it all right, which is also great
error. The frost will aid its amelioration,
or prevent the evil which would result
from the spring sun, but it will not make
it harmless. This is the experience, what
ever the philosophy may be. We have
known gardens, and other land of rich,
black loan, plowed late, when the pillow
almost swan in the mud, it being thought
and said that the soil would all be right
in the spring. But it was not right. The
following year there was no crop. The
garden was failure. How can it be 9TH
erwise? Here was a mortar, instead of
mellow soil. The loose, porous soil, full
of life and fertility, had its character
changed. The soil was close and COM
pact. Its texture was altered. 1t was no
soil proper, only collection of dead,
compact matter, which the frost could not
vitaliZe, as we know it does not--at least
in one year-reduce Jumps, which are the
same kind of soil, only dried and broken
up. 1t takes years to reduce Jumps and
clods to fine and mellow condition.
Thor, tho c,,r ap6 tho rairc Y,,11ct old o1cO
in the pulverization. The proper way to
manage heavy land is to drain all those
places where the soil continues wet and
soggy for any length of time after heavy
rain. Remove the cause of the
difficulty, as we say of certain
diseases. Then work and regain
what is lost. This must be done (if to be
done welD by deep and thorough drain
age. But if this is not practicable pillow
little deeper in autumn, and if possible
loosen the soil below, giving drainage to
the depth of loosening. Let the surface
be rough in ridges, or otherwise thrown
up, SO that there may be as much expos
ure to the elements as possible. The OBJ
ject directly here is to increase the depth
of soil, improving it by the addition of
good mellow subsoil. Long, rank ma
nure may be applied to advantage, as
coarse manure will act favOrably on the
harsh soil with which it comes in con-
tact. Muck, with little lime added, is
excellent to turn down, as the acid and
the alkali will produce fermentation.
If little manure can be added to the
surface the effect on the soil will be such
as to develop its fertility. If you have
time and means to summer fallow the
ground dispense with the manure turned
down in the fall, unless it may convent
emily be done, and apply it in the spring.
The heat will at once effect the fertilizing
material, and through its fermentation
the soil will be improved. After the ma
nure. has had its action, work the land
thoroughly and often. Soon after rain
is the best time, if such an opportunity
can be improved This is important.
The heat and rain together have great
influence in reducing the harsh character
of the soil. Of course the wet condition
of the land is to be avoided. The mean
between the wet and the dry is to be
aimed at. In showery season the
ground will frequently be in this desir
able condition. 5 M
There will be no danger of stirring the
soil too much. Too much rank, raw ma
nure it is not likely will be worked in.
The soil needs large quantities of manure.
Make thorough work and you will have
foundation for all time 10 come. The
practice will pay. 1t is the only thing
that will pay.
September opening, you will have
soil that you need no one to tell you will
produce, as the seed-bed will be like a
deep ash heap of mellow, rich land.
There are no more Jumps. There is no
more hardness or harshness. You have
a miracle of soil before you. Let us see
more closely what we have: There is the
manure added, all the strength of the
green mass retained and made one with
the soil. There is the fertility of the at
mosphere which the stirring of the soil
impaired. This is precious, if but little
The material is prepared, is organic, is
just what is wanted. These two sources
have great intluence-greater because
they are at once available. But there is
still more-not the organic, but the min
eral matter-which the action OF the ma
nure applied and the elements in connec
ton, joined to the mechanical effect, de-
veloped. The soil itself, now treated well,
has given up its wealth, so that there is
an increase of the organic and the lnor-
ganic elements. The mechanical also is
not only improved but revolutionized. A
complete change has been effected, and
in one year. Sometimes it takes the sec
ond year; for there are some bad soils IN
the world.
After field has been managed in the
foregoing manner you will have soil tor