Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-05-03
DEEP FLOWING.
Discussion Of its Advantages or Disadyantages
BIZ One Who has Studied the Matter.

One intelligent, practical farmer will
tell you his experience has shown con-
clusively that deep culture of the soil
Is important and highly profitable.
Another, Of equal intelligence and ex-
perience, viii assert that he positively
knows deep blowing to be very injuri-
Gus. Both may be right The agri-
cultural journals have abounded in such
statements during thirty years past.
An examination OF the why and where
fore will afford a 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 or
three tons per acre of clover, for ex-
ample, will contain more vegetable or
organic matter than before bearing the
crop. The leaves have upon their sur
face 2 vast number of very small
mouths or openings, often over a hum
dred thousand upon single square
inch, as shown by the microscope.
Through these carbonic acid and other
gases are absorbed and decomposed,
part being retained as plant food. Re-
move the leaves from any plant, and it
ceases to grow. The fine rootlets and
root hairs doubtless absorb little food
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 food 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 pass
ing through the alimentary canal Of our
bodies, and deposits the atoms that
nonrish 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.
Inc suns warmth greatly assists the
preparation of the food material col
lected by the leaves, adapting it for
plant nourishment.. We speak of warm
growing weather. But while the hot
sun rapidly increases the preparation
of plant food, it dries off the sap faster
from the leaves and also the moisture
from the surface soil. SO that the roots
cannot get full supply. In both these
ways the sap--the life blood of the
plants diminished, and for want of
this the food distribution or growth is
lessened, and frequently is stopped alto
gether. The leaves curl, the plants
droop, often dying out after few hot
days. This is especially the case on
shallow soils, and on prairie land
which, by reason of its dark color, alb
serbs more of the suns heat than those
of lighter color Owing to the loose
texture of such soils they bring up
moisture from below much less rapidly
than line, compact loans and clays.
Is it not plain then, that if a soil is
plowed deep and made fine, so that air
will penetrate deeply, and the plant
roots be thus invited well below the
surface, out of the suns reach even in
drouth, which seldom dries more than
two to four inches deep, the plants hav-
ing such roots will be always supplied
with the needed sap, and the growth
will proceed rapidly even in the dryest
days. Hence as a rule, deep blowing
and working of the soil are highly adj
But not always. The porous prairie
soils are usually in fair condition a foot
deep or more; the air has circulated
through them, destroying deleterious
acids, poison salts, etc., On heavier
soils, so compact that the air has never
circulated below the immediate surface,
the subsoil may be actually filled with
poisonous substances. We know that
earth brought up in digging wells and
deep bitches will seldom support veget-
able life, for a year or two at least. To
run pillow down into such soil three
or four inches below the previously
stirred surface, and turn up heavy
layer of it, may actually kill the first
crop sown or planted.
The right way, with such soils, is to
go down an inch or two annually, and
bring up little new soil each time, but
not enough to materially harm the
growing crops. In this way we may in
time secure a healthful, porous, aerated
deep plant bed, that will furnish abun-
dant moisture in the hottest season.
besides providing NEW supplies of in
organic food needed for the best growth
of crops. TT orange Juld IN the american
1gricutt,Valist.