Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-02-23
GommuHirafons.
The subsoil Plow.

To the Standard:
VIOLA, Feb. 14.-Owing TO high
waters | did not receive the STAND,
ARD of the 9th until yesterday. Ii
was not my purpose in my cnmmun>
cation of February 2nd to discuss eth.
er the merit or demerit of the suhsoil
pillow. My main object was to enter
my protest against blowing land wet.
The subaOil was rather incidental. !
admit that my experiments in suhsoil
ing. were not continued far enough to
establish any great fact, (even in my
own mind), yet from the experiments
made must confess that my faith in
the subs0iling pillow was somewhat
shaken. heartily concur with my
esteemed friend and former schoolmatp,
Ed. j. Wood, that such experime t,
should run through series of years
Unfortunately for the farming commu,
nifty our experiments are too i ose and
indefinite; so much go that few great
principles have been established that
will efectually serve to keep our
children from repeating our mistakes
| will therefore insist that Brother
Wood continue his experiments with
the subsOil pillow and report results
The subsoil pillow, under certain circum>
stances, may be used advantageously.
yet have grave doubts as to whether
the great object sought can be ST.
economically reached as through
natural agencies when not abused or
interfered with by man, That the
subsoil should be in good condition
in order to the successful growth
of crops, cheerfully admit.
But | greatly prefer the roots Of
clover, peas and other deeply penetrat
ing roots to secure this condition, rath
er than an indiscriminate use of the
subsOil pillow. Plant one field, my
brother-after a crop of clOver-with
out the use of the subsoil pillow; plant
the other after crop of oats, using
your subsoil pillow, and then report the
results. Now, before | commence the
use of the subsOil pillow again, will you
he so kind as to tell me why it IS that
after digging hole in the ground you
can replace all the loose earth taken
from it? | have al everal wells DIT Q
in my life and failing to get water
have since had to borrow dirt twice in
each case to make the well surface even
with the surrounding surface. Why is
this? And again, in setting "a post
firmly on the ground you may fill
three.quarters of the hole with the
post and yet you can replace all the
dirt in the same hole and drive it two
inches below the surrounding surfaced
Go toyour post two or three years af'
terward and you will find the surface
level about your post, and then re
move your post and you will find the
earth, once so compressed, as loose as
that surrounding it. Why is this
Now l claim that natural agencies
when given fair chance, will accom-.
plish infinitely more than your subsoi
pillow, and in a much more economi
cal way. If you will feed your lane
occasionally with q. crop of clover OIL
peas, and not SOW when too wet, there
by placing your subsoll out of reach
of natural agencies, l think you vii
have but little use for your plow.
have but little faith in tickling rec
clay below the freezing point. In my
last experiment where l stated that
only raised about half the corn l die
on the same field two years previous
The STANDARD (by mistake) make
me say ten years previous. 1t shoult
have been two years previous.
s. NJ. McRAMsEY.
Subsoiling.