Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-06-02

Twenty-Five years ago large ma
i ,ity OF farmers believed deep plow-
ing to be the best for all soils and all
crops, but since that time many have
changed their opinion. To-day but
few will advocate deep blowing without
some qualification. Experience has
proved that what is best for one soil, or
crop, may not be best for another soil,
or for different crop; in fact it is
found that blowing, like other occupa-
tons on the farm, can not, with any
surety of success, be brought under any
rigid rules, but that each lot OF land
and each crop must be considered by it
self; that the depth which it is best to
plow must depend mainly on the char
acter of the soil and the nature OF the
crop to be grown; for example, If the
soil is very sandy loan, and the crop
to be grown be Indian corn, it should
not be plowed so deep as if the land be
a heavy loan and the crop be carrots
or parsnips. 1t is mistake to sup
pose that because one kind OF soil, or
crop, does better by deep blowing that
all soils and crops do. A soil that is
rich and full of partially decayed vege-
ration to the depth of ten or twelve
inches is, no doubt, improved by deep
blowing, for some crops, but a poor
soil that is deficient in partially decayed
vegetation, except few inches of the
surface, would be greatly injured the
first year by deep blowing. This has
been thoroughly demonstrated by
large number of experiments, but be-
cause this is so, deep blowing ought not
to be condemned, nor should farmers
who own farms with deep rich soil
insist that deep blowing is the best for
all farms, because they find it best for
| theirs.
Nature has placed the richest portion
| OF the soil very near the surface, and
she has constructed plants with their
feeding roots very near the surface also,
that they might be where the soil is in
the best condition to feed them. When
man attempts to overcome these natural
conditions he soon finds it can only be
done at a great cost, if at all. Nature
does not object to having the soil made
rich to much greater depth than it is
usually found in its natural state, but
when man reverses the natural con-
ditions by changing the four inches of
rich surface soil and placing it at the
bottom of furrow eight inches in
depth, and at the same time covers it
with four inches of the poor soil which
nature has placed beneath the four
inches of the rich soil, she rebels and re-
fuses to produce so good crops as when
only four inches of the richest soil is re-
versed. w
While most crops grow best when
the soil is made light and loose eight
inches deep, it is not so important that
the lower half of this eight inches
should be very rich, as it is that the
upper half should; such being the case,
it will readily be seen that when a soil
is rich only few inches on the top, il
this be changed to the bottom of deep
furrow, and replaced with poor soil, il
will be difficult, if not impossible, to
make the poor soil thus brought to the
surface as rich as the natural soil which
has been covered so deep that but few
plant roots, that are particularly adapted
for feeding roots can reach it.
} Unfortunately our plows are not con
structed on plan to initiate nature, bu
exactly contrary to nature. Ii we haC
a pillow that would stir and pulverize the
!, soil, and at the same time keep it the
same side up, there would be but very
little, if any, objection to deep stirring
of the soil; then the rich soil would bt
kept near the surface, and the fertilizer
applied would be mingled with it, ant
thus make the most desirable condition
for rapid plant growth. We trust tina
the time will come when we shall hav'
an implement that will thoroughly stil
the soil and leave it the same side up
and at the same time mingle the manure
with four inches of the surface soil; un
til we have such implements we shoulo
be cautious how we pillow the land mucl
below the rich soil.
On land of ordinary richness a cro]
|, of Indian corn will grow better with tn
same care and manure, if it be plowe'
only four or five inches deep, than
plowed eight or ten inches deep. VIVA
: is true of corn is true of rye and simila
/ crops; but if it is desired to grow Cal
rots, or horse-radish, or any deep-root
ed crops, it is important that the lam
should be plowed deeper, and for sue
l crops it is also important that the Ian
, should be prepared by gradually deep
. ening the soil until it has been well en-
riched to the depth of eight or te
r inches. When this is done deep pillow
9 ing may be resorted to with advantage
t but to attempt to prepare shallow so
in single year can not be done withou
b the application of very large quantitie
Y of manure; and even then it would b
D difficult, if not impossible, to mingl
s the manure with the soil and make it S
a well adapted to plant growth, as if tn
t deepening had been done gradually
t covering period of several years {