Dodge City times., 1882-10-26

Iace- II Weeus. stuDple ana coarse
manure are piowed under in the fall,
there need be no fear that the roots OF
the crops will not feed upon the yege.
table matter beneath the burrows.
Admitting that thorough under-drain.
age with tiles is the most economical
method of management, the next best
method to loosen, deepen and aerate the
soil. is TO deeply fall-plow the land be.
fore il is rendered wet and heavy by
the autumnal rains. Any method that
will better fit the land for early vegeta-
bles or for successful truck farming is
the true method by which the greatest
measure of success can be attained in
growing the grain crops. No one should
now be content with merely growing
an average crop, which merely insures
a bare living. The profit in farming
lies in the plane above the average. and
the profits are increased in Il rapid ratio
whenever the yield per acre is uniform
ly large. The greater the yield, the
greater the corresponding profit.
The KEY to success is eariiness. and
the best method of increasing il is an
important matter. The successful mar
ket gardener underdrains his land with
tile. and then after manuring it heavily
with the coarsest of the manure in the
fall. piows it into beds four TO five PAGES
wide, and then cleans out the dead
burrows, so that the water can pass off
at the lowest point quickly and readily.
This is to certain extent drainage.
and in many cases the nearest possible
approach to il. A wet soil can no more
be pulverized than if it were-what it
too often SO closely resembles-a mass
of putty. The rough manure applied
at first is not enough. and n liberal top
dressing of well-rotted manure should
afterward be applied broadcast during
the winter when the ground is frozen. or
as early in the spring rs the soil viii not
be injured by the teams and wagons
passing over it. The mellowing infiu-
ence OF manure SO applied is greatly un-
derestimated.
Fall plowing contributes materially to
the success of crop by the destruction
of injurious insects that have taken up
their winter quarters; thrown up at this
season, myriads of worms. insects and
eggs are destroyed, and great loss pre-
vented. 1t also aids in keeping the farm
free from weeds. by throwing up roots
of the perennials, when the frosts of
winter will destroy their vitality; by
covering the seeds of the ANIMALS it
causes them to germinate in the fall
and they are also killed
Again, a farm that is worked often
and has its soil well filled with humus
from decaying vegetation plouahed
under. will always suffer less in season
of drought than one where there is
little done except to NOW off the scanty
crops.
Viewed from a chemical standpoint
the disintegration which results from
fall blowing is very marked. The land
when broken up by the plow holds u
great amount of water. and when re-
peatedly frozen and thawed while in
that condition. pulyerization is rendered
much more complete than it otherwise
would be. All the rain that falls which
is charged with ammonia and other fer
tiliZing gases is filtered down through
fine particles of the loosened soil. and as
result the manurial properties in the
water are readily assimilated and re-
tanned rs plant food. Heavy soils should
be so plowed as to be left somewhat
rough, SO that the largest possible sur
face will be exposed TO the effects of
frost and heat of the sun S rays.
Fall plowing has been justly con-
demned by those who insisted on re-
breaking the land in the spring. but
ncrsr by those who follow the plan of
cultivating across the dead burrows TO
I'LL them up. and mellowing the surface
inch by inch until the desired depth is
affained = Enl.l,i and EI,cSi,la