American citizen., 1881-10-22
Fall Flowing.

While there is furrow to be turned
the plow should not rest in the fal
months. One sometimes hears the
most absurd objections made. to the
effect that farmers are urged BY agri-
cultural writers to work, work, and
never to be idle but always to find
something to do. But, why not? A
writer ON agricultural subjects. if he
understands his business. knows that
the farm is no play ground any more
than the workshop or the merchants
store; he knows, too, that, as n rule,
| the farmer has more leisure than any
other business man. and is too apt in
his leisurely way to put off his work
until the last moment, not realizing
what damage may happen through this.
And what has the farmer to do but to
till his farmP 1t is only when one is
working that he is producing, and it is
the part of wisdom to work when there
is work to be done and rest when it is
done. And fall plowing is the most
important work of the season. On the
majority of farms the plowing is done
ly does not wish to pay his laborer for
doing nothing; and if he is a sensible
man he knows that every fair days la
Dor performed by his workman will
yield him a profit on the outlay. There
are many farmers who recognize these
facts. and who are industrious and
painstaking, and yet who might delay
their fall plowing Or even put off the
plowng until spring, and take their
leisure just now, simply because they
may not clearly understand the advan-
tages of doingthis work as soon as pos-
sible, and before the cold weather arr
fives. Some explanation of these adj
vantages may then be of interest. Few
of us realizewhat a vast storehouse of
Fertility the soil is, and yet how Sc
curely this fertility is-locked up in the
soil. It IS this very fact that gives point
to the knowledge that by the sweat of
the brow man must earn his bread. We
may SOW. but we cannot reap unless
with much labor we work the soil with
pillow and harrow, and it is this very
labor that unlocks the treasures of the
soil so that we may help ourselves to
ourshare.
: Fall blowing is required to produce
particular effect, and should, therefore,
be performed in a particular manner,
and one calculated to effect the desired
purpose the most completely. What is
required chiefly is to expose the largest
surface to the influences of the atmos-
phere; to the changes from moisture to
dryness; to the frosts and thaws. This
is done by throwing the soil into ridges
SO that it remains in succession of
miniature hills and vale 8. exposing
twice as much surface as if the furrow
slices were laid flat. In this case the
same quantity of soil as laid previously
upon the surface would be turned up;
in the other case the furrow slice would
Re exposed on two sides, and, moreover,
in blowing in this manner the bottoms
of the burrows are left open and loose,
and air can circulate there. 1t is at
this season that the ground may be
plowed a. little deeper than before. to
bring up an inch or two of the subsoil
to mix with the surface. and SO add to
the arabic and fertile layer. This new |
soil IS exposed to the atmosphere and |
and changed in character,
fall plowing, gradually deepens
the soil and emiches it with
fresh materials for plant food. This
A powerful reason for early plowing
lies in the fact that the decomposition
of the vegetable matter plowed in-the
trash of stubble and weeds-goes on
very rapidly while the soil remains
warm. and until the very cold weather
becomes constant or the ground is
frozen. The vitrification of this vege-
table matter is effective and rapid in
to the warmth, moderate
moisture and porosity of the soil, and
.hese depend wholly upon early plow-
ng. One exception is to be noted.
This, in the writer's opinion. is in the
blowing of clover sod upon light soils
or corn. In regard to the plowing of
od upon clay soils there can be no
question. because the benefit to the soil
tself far overweighs that gained by the
increased growth of the clover in the
pring, while this fresh growth of clo-
,er is of the greatest advantage to the
light soil and to the corn crop. which
hrives best upon the nowly turned soil.
dany years, experience has shown that
his kind of soil. with a clover sod upon
t, is best turned at the last moment be-
ore planting, so that the seed can 60 at
nee into the mellow. fresh soil and re-
eive the considerable benefit which ac-
Pues from the rapidly rottipg, fresh,
ucculent clover and its active influence
pou. the soil.-N. J.. Times.