The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-05-20

As THE time and manner Of blowing
varies to meet the requirements Of dif-
ferent soils and localities, no definite
rules may be laid down by which to
govern the operation, but each piece Of
land must be considered by itself and
broken up at season and in . stvle
best suited to its own necessities.
There are, however. some general prin-
clP!es underlying the whole matter
which will assist each farmer in decid-
ing whether he shall practice fall or
spring blowing and at what depth to
set the pillow.
Light, sandy land, generally speak
ing, should be plowed iD the spring.
ana experience has proven, in most
cases, that land near the sea, which is
rarely covered with snow, produces
better when broken in the spring than
II this be done in the autumn. On the
other hand, heavy clay soil appears to
require the alternate freezings and
thawings of winter to pulverize it.
Fields foul with weeds are greatly
benefited by fall blowing. which turns
under these noxious growths with the
stalks OF the crop before their seed
natures, and not only destroys them,
but forces them to enrich the land.
The exposure of pestilent insects to the
weather is another argument in favor
OF fall blowing.
The depth Of the soil and the char
acter OF the sub-soil must determine
the question of deep and shallow plow-
ing. The sub-soil ought not, as rule,
to be brought out of its bed except in
small quantities to be exposed to the
atmosphere during the fall, winter and
spring, or in summer tallow; nor
even then except when such fertilizers
are applied as are necessary to put it
at once into q productive condition.
Two Indifferent soils of opposite char
acter, as q stiff clay and sliding sand,
sometimes occupy the relation of sur
face and sub-soil to each other, When
thoroughly Incorporated and subjected
to deep cultivation they will produce
a soil of greatly increased value.
River soils having perfect natural
drainage take kindly to deep blowing,
as do the black, porous and fertile lime
stone soils. Land that is dry, with but
afew inches of good soil, will not, of
course produce as good crops by deep
as by shallow blowing. These condi-
tions are, it must be said, susceptible of
improvement by thorough system of
sub-soiling and liberal manuring. Deep
blowing IS ill-advised when basin is
formed below certain line in which
water will settle and remain until it can
escape by evaporation. Such soils re-
quire drainage, after which the pillow
can be set deep. Tosum up the whole
subject briefly; thin soils with worthless
subsoils must be plowed shallow until
the farmer can afford the labor and ex-
pense of subsoiling and heavy manuring
for a number of years. This expense
and labor, by the way, will pay him in
the end, not only with increased crops
but enhanced value of the land. Deep
clay loans and alluvial soils bear deep
blowing. Wet lands should be drained
previous to deep blowing. The me-
dunn course-i. e., blowing from five
to six inches deep-is of course exempt
from the harmful results of the two ex-
tremes.
Farmers generally agree that sandy
or dry soils require fiat blowing, which
tends to consolidate the land, while on
low or strong soils they prefer to leave
the furrow on edge. Much is written
and said each year against breaking up
ground that is too wet; the other ex-
treme is seldom mentioned, and yet it
has been demonstrated especially on
heavy clay land that running the
pillow through ground too dryis almost
as pernicious in its effects as blowing
it when too wet. Sufficient moisture is
required to cause the burrows to fall loose
ly from the pillow with no appearance
ofpacking and no Jumps. Time and la
Dor are saved by running the burrows
the longest way of the field, as the
number of turns are thereby diminished.
IN. Y. World.