Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-07-17
farm and FIRESIDE
Plew Deep, but Wisely.
The Southern Planter and Farmer.


learn some lessons ofproft from them.
These forests will tell you that the
winds blowing against the tops of the
tall trees Qevers OF Gods own make)
causes their lateral roots, as they (the
trees) are swayed backward and forward.
to lift up good depth the earth on the
roots, and thus loosen and kept mel
low and soft to drink up the rains,
SHOWS, frosts, dews, and fogs sent Down
by God Almighty to moisten and ferti-
lie the earth's surface, and whilst at
the same time fltering the rain water 10
enrich the surface, the wafer thus fl
tered, re-appears in springs in brooks
and rivers, pure as crystal, to slake the
thirst Of man. For these reasons, for
ests in their natural state give out very
little surface rain water to form freshets;
put when man clears up these forests,
destroys the natural deep workers (the
trees) of the soil, and begins the ruinous
system ofplowing from three to four
inches deep, which is not enough depth
to absorb or drink up good fall CT rain
water, which must overflow this shall
low depth Of filth, the rain-water thus
fallen first sleeps out the finer particles
Of decayed vegetable and animal mat
ter, which are lighter than the earth,
and this vegetable and matter, mixed
with the water, passes away int some
rich bottom, to be again evaporatedln
the shape Of malaria, to produce disease
and death, whilst the thinly plowed sur
face, from whence it was washed, be-
comes harder and poorer every time it
is plowed shallow, or skinned (Which is
a better term for such shallow scratch
ing), until in afew years the rich forest
that grows richer under Gods working
every year, has become as poor as
poverty, and SO hard, under the work.
ing OF man, that the larger portion Of
the rain-water that falls on it runs off on
the surface, as on the plank floor; deep
blowing dees in the field the same thing
that is done IN the natural. forests by the
upheaval Of the roots by the winds and
storms upon the trees; and If man would
plow deep enough for each acre Of land
to drink up all the rain-water that falls
on it, the cultivated lands, like the
forest, would not only improve by each
rain, but give out very little rain-water
TO form floods, and would give double
depth to crop roots to feed in, and be
double as easy to cultivate after being
broken, and besides all this, droughts
would scarcely be known, because the
evaporation from the deep plowed fields
everywhere retaining all the rain-water
that falls, would be so great that clouds
would be more rapidly and constantly
forming to send back showers to prevent
drouths; deep blowing would accom-
plish all this; and it seems to me the
great designs ofthe great Oliver of all
good, would be met in the command he
gave man to till(not scratch) the earth
: Deep blowing does still more: 1t
loosens mp, and unlocks to a greater
depth, the hidden surface bound gases
embowelled in the earth, which gases.
by the centrifugal force produced by the
revolutions of this earth, are ever being
thrown to the surface to enrich it for
mans good, not as many suppose, the
fertilizers and manures to sink down
and forever disappear, particularly in
sandy lands. If this was the natural
law in the case, where would the gases
rom fertilizers 60 to? The only answer
would be, that they would 60 to the
centre ofthe earth, and if so, could the
earth hold or retain them? No; they
would send this globe into atoms, and
Gods design in keeping this globe fer
tile for mans good would be DESTROYED.
Fertilizers don't sink in sandy soils;
they eyaporate more rapidly on sandy
soils than on clay or loamy soils, be-
cause sandy soils are more open and
more porous, wand hae a greater affinity
for heat than clay or loan, as the
thermometer will show in hot August
day; therefore the evaporation is greater
because the heat Is greater on sandy
than On clay and loamy soils: this is too
plain 10 require other proof than COM
mon observation. Then how shall
fertilizers be treated on sandy soils
Turn them under with a pillow, and
cover them up as you would compost
heap; and ifseeded down in small grain
or grass, pack the surface by rolling it
with field roller, and all Will 20 well
and no loss.
In view fthese ideas, just think of
the wisdom and goodness of God in
providing for man. The revolving of
the earth by natural law producing
centrifugal force, thus throwing all the
natural fertilizing gases to the surface
from its centre, to enrich and ferhlize !;
and the clouds catching all the ferti-
lizing gases that arise from ..decomposl-
ton Of all kinds of matter and bringing
them back to the earth, again in rains,
SHOWS, irosts, dews and fogs, to blend
with those from beneath TO enrich and
fertilize this globe and make it an Eden
for man and the glory Of our God who
made. it. Reverse these laws, cause
all the dccaying sertllizing matter on
earth TO sink, and all the gases that
are gathered by the clouds that rise
from decay Of matter to rise up and 90
away into unknown SPACE above. and