Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-02
Stirring the Soil.

9eAAAAN NMo DWus
A SUFFICIENT estimate Is not usually
placed In the importance Of stirring the
soil for growing crops. Truckers un-
derstand It's necessity, but perhaps most
grass and grain farmers, with many
who assume 10 cultivate fruit, are wo-
fully ignorant or negligent on this
point. Even in growing corn most
farmers appear 10 think the object Of
cultivation is merely TO keep down the
weeds, and not that frequent stirring Of
the soil in itself does any good. It is
even claimed sometimes that frequent
stirring, especially in hot and dry
weather, dries out the earth still more
rapidly. But clearly this conclusion is
unsound, because below the soil is a vast
reservoir Of moisture which no drouth
can ever exhaust, and which comes 10
the surface more or less abundantly in
proportion as we stir the soil.
Farmers generally have more land
under culture than they can properly
cultivate, and hence it is that drouths
sometimes make such sad inroads on
their profits. Now and then a drouth
may be so excessive as TO shorten
crop in spite of all possible exertions,
but ordinarily II q crop intended for
cultivation is cultivated from the start
every day or two without reference TO
the weeds, it is possible TO almost defy
a drouth. OF course, the full amount of
moisture which the crop might advan-
tageously absorb can not be had, but
the comparative effect will astonish any
one who has not observed 1t before.
Instead OF a pinched and starving
growth and premature ripening Of the
crop, the tree or plant win show vigor
and vitality, and mature the crop al
most as well as II rain had been abund-
ant. II increases the expense, of course,
to cultivate a cOrnfeld or a berry patch
every day or three times a week; but
the compensation for such effort is that,
other conditions being right, you will
be reasonably certain to have fair
crop, while It is equally certain that
those who fold their hands and wait for
the rains to come, will have a very light
and poor crop, If any at all, to market
after an excessive drouth. Every body
knows that calamity which reduces a
given crop to half the average, or less,
greatly enhances the price for the half
which does go to market; and therein
the wide-awake farmer finds his reward
Those who have misgivings on this
subject ought to experiment little.
Cultivate a strip of the cernfeld say
six times week during the growing
season; go over another strip three
times week; another, once a week I;
another, say once in the season; and an
other not at all; and then at harvest
time note the results. Weigh the crops
| don't guess at it-and then see II fire.
quent culture does not pay. OF course,
the other conditions should be as nearly
alike as possible; and to make it entirely
conclusive the drOuth should not be in
terfered with by rain. But rain or no
rain, whenever the earth is dry enough
to stir, frequentstirring has an excellent
effect, not only as regards the supply OF
moisture bat also in eradicRting weeds,
and in q dry season these are far more
damaging than at other times.
The farmer who plants young orchard
trees in grass shows scarcely less wis
dom than he who should plant corn,
wheat or potatoes in grass. In each in
stance the grass seeks to monopolize all
the moisture and all the fertility, and
being established it generally succeeds.
Or If we plant in well-prepared field
and then leave the orchard or
the plants to take care of them.
selves, the result is much the same,
because weeds will take the place of
grass, and the neglect Of culture in ad-
dition, when there is little or no rain,
soon finds the soil without moisture
which thorough aud frequent string
is sure to bring close to the surface
Cor. Examiner and CbrONjoIe,