Milford chronicle., 1883-04-20
Deep Flowing and Injurious.

One intelligent, practical farmer wi
tell you his experience has shown con
clusively that deep culture of the so
is important and highly profitable. An
other, of equal intelligence and expert
ence, will assert that he positively know
deep plowhing to be very injurious
Both may be right. The agriculture
journals have abounded in such state
ments during thirty years past. An ex
animation of the why and wherefor,
will afford useful lesson.
How do plants get the materials
that increase their bulk Mainly from
the air. A loan made up almost wholly
of sand and clay, after growing two ol
three tons per acre of clover for exam
pie, will contain more vegetable or or.
ganic matter than before bearing the
crop. The leaves have upon their sur
face a vast number of very small mouths
or openings, often over hundred thou
sand upon a square inch, as shown by
the microscope. Through these car
bonic acid and other gases are absorbed
and decompOsed, part being retained as
plant food. Remove the leaves from
any plant and it ceases to grow. The
fine rootlets and root hairs doubtless alb
sorb a little fruit from fertilizers and
organic matter in the soil, especially
nitrogen and the minerals of the ashes.
Without discussing the question how
much comes from each source, we know
that the sap conveys the fruit both from
leaves and roots, and deposits it here and
there and everywhere through the plant,
just as the blood gathers materials from
the digested food passing through the
alimentary canal of our bodies, and de-
posits the atoms that nourish and
strengthen the muscles, nerves, bones.
and all other organs. The sap is to the
plant what the blood is to the body.
This sap comes mainly from moisture in
the soil.
The suns warmth greatly assists the
of the food material col
lected by the leaves, adapting it for plant
nourishment. We speak of warm
Sc growing weather" But while the hot
sun rapidly increases the preparation of |
plant food, il dries off the sap faster
from the leaves, and also the moisture
rom the soil, so that the roots cannot
get a full supply. In both these ways
he sap-the life blood of the plants
and for want of this the
ood distribution or growth is lessened,
md frequently is stopped altogether.
The leaves curl, the plants droop, often
lying out after a few hot days This is
specially the case on shallow soils and
N prairie land, which, by reason Of its
ark color, absorbs more of the suns
eat than those of lighter color. Owing
0 the loose texture of such Soils they
ring up moisture from below much
ess rapidly than fine, compact loans
nd clays.
Is it not plain, then, that if a soil is
lowed deep and made fine, so that air
i'll penetrate deeply, and the plant roots
e thus invited we'll below the surface.
ut of the suns reach even in a drought.
hich seldom dries more than two to
'ur inches deep, the plants having such
'ots will be always supplied with the ,,
eeded sap, and the growth will proceed {
pidly even in the dryest days. Hence,
rule. deep plowing and working of !
e soil are highly advantageous.
But not always. The porous prairie S
lis are usually in fair condition n foot L
'ep or more; the air has circulated !
rough them, destroying deleterious
ids, poisonous salts, etc. On heavier Il
lis so compact that the air has never is
'culated below the immediate surface. y
G subsoil may be actually filled with Il
isonous substances. We know that J.
rth brought up in digging wells and W
ep bitches will seldom support g
getable life, for year or two at least ttCC
run a plow down into such a soil m
zee or four inches below the previously r5 -
rred surface, and turn up a heavy in
er Of it, may actually kill the first aI ad
p sown or planted. be
The right way, with such soils, IS to en-
down an inch or two annually, and III
ng up a little new soil each time, hut lhga
enough to materially harm the grow cir
crops In this way we may in time pc
ure a healthful. porous, aerated, deep ior ~,
Mt bed, that will furnish abundant of
istura in the bo+taet ea,son bos;la. raT
viding new supplies OF inorganic food dy.
ded for the best growth of crops dis
orican Agicuitvist ote Cfe