The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-06-30
RIDGE CULTURE.

The following from the pen Of prsc-
tical farmer of Hamilton county, Ohio,
is worthy of careful study.
Ridge culture consists in raising our
cultivated ground into ridges, the set
ting of our plants upon those ridges, and
the cultivation of the ground afterwards
as means of enrichment of the soil.
Small grain and corn are rot cultivated
alike. With small grain the ground is
thoroughly plowed and pulverized, after
which the grain is seeded in broad rows
six inches wide on top and twelve inch
es from centre to centre. Behind the
seed distributors follow the shovels
which take the soil from between the
seed rows and cover the thinly scattered
seed. This makes a ridge on the seed
bed and by the same process leaves a
furrOw between the rows. By this plan
we realize several important advantages.
Nature provides that every growing
plant shall scno its roots into the earth,
and its top upward. The dividing line
between the roots and the top is near
the surface of the soil. If the plant be
given deep cultivation and deep soil un-
der the seed it will make strong growth
and a strong plant. By ridging the
depth of your soil is double, and at the
same time your deepened soil holds its
In seasons of excessive rainfalls the
ridges serve as sheds and the burrows as
cutters to convey away the surface wa
ter. In slight rains the moisture is all
retained, the thorough pulverization and
the relation of the ridges and furrows
making the conformation of the ground
favorable to their retention. In this
way deep reservoir is established from
which the plants may draw theiI suste-
nance by capillary attraction.
Sunlight and heat are indispensable
to plant growth, and on ridged ground
the sun has more surface on which to
| exert its power than it can have on level
ground. Your corn, tobacco, cotton,
| cabbage and other crops will therefore
come to maturity weeks earlier than un-
der level culture. That is but plain
! logical deduction.
L will briefly recount the points in
which ridge culture is superior to the
| old methods:
! l. By ridging, the depth of the soil
/ cultivated is doubled, it retains moisture
| to that degree better, and its capacity to
/ withstand drouth is accordingly dou-
| bled
| 2 By ridging, we not only raise the
! plant out of the wet and cold. but we
provide it an effectual uLder-drainage
| in excessive rainfalls. In light rain
/ falls, the preparation of the ground has
! in effect made soil sponge, that in
/ drouth will yield its stored reserve of
/ moisture
3. Sun, rain, dew and electricity have
| easier access to the plant by ridge than
! by level culture, which left furTOw and
! drained the water on your growing
! grains, it placed the seed deep in the
! ground near the impenetTable hard pan ;
! hence the roots could not "tillern or
'"stool out; for that operation OF ma
/ ture nearly always takes place near the
/ surface. If the seed be planted too
! deep, it has struggle to reach the air
and sunlight, and often never comes up,
! for the load above is beyond its lifting
{ power.
( 5. We make use of all our ground to
| the best advantage, and have it in far
/ better condition for succeeding crops
/ than under the old methods. That is to
! say, crops raised by ridge culture do not
! impoverish the soil so much as crops
/ by level culture.
6. From experiments in this mode of
/ culture, there is no question that the
/ average yield is increased not less than
/ 20 per cent. and further, that the grain
is improved in quality.