Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-10-28
DaiIu Kf1nebtr JournaI.
Fall PIoughing and Manuring.

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Whether to plough in fall or spring, is
a question that is to be answered accord
ing to circumstances On steep hill sides.
where water is likely to gather and flow
over the surface in winter. fall ploughing
may so loosen the soil as to subject it to
damaging washings. On light. sandy
plains, fall ploughing may expose the sur
face to fierce winds in winter. that may
blow away much of the finest and best of
the soil. A heavy clay, on level land, if
turned fiat in autumn, may pack down so
hard under the influence of heavy winter
SHOWS and rains as to be entirely unfit for
use in spring, without spending more la
Der upon it than was gained by fall
ploughing.
If stiff, clay sod is turned in the fall,
with burrows Tapped so that water can
drain off beneath them, it will be in ex-
cellent condition in spring, if let alone
until dry enough to begin to crumble un-
der the pulverizidg harrow. Tapped fur
rows expose large surface to the action
of the weather during the winter. We do
not quite like Tapped burrows, but admit
they are necessity in some soils. Still,
if the burrows are of good depth, are
straight, and we'll turned. a very good
seed bed may be made without turning
back any of the sod. Clay soil is usually
pretty free from stones, and the burrows
NAV be laid quite straight and even.
On the ordinary rough, stony land of
81. -
would much prefer ploughing sod in the
fall in order to expedite the spring work
If such land is ploughed now, and the
plough is soon followed by the disc har-
row to level down the rough burrows, and
pulverize the surface. the manure may be
drawn on and spread and narrowed in, all
ready for spring sowing or planting. We
have practised this method several years,
with the highest satisfaction. The plough
ing has been done in October, or early in
November. The disc barrow was used
Just enough to level the iand so as to make
it easy to haul on the manure and spread
it evenly. After the manure was applied.
the harrow was again used freely, until
the manure was very thoroughly mixed
with the soil to the depth o. three or four
inches.
If all this were done early enough for
weeds or grass to start, the harrow was
used to kill everything green. Where a
field is well plowed, this method will put
sod field in as good condition for sowing
oats or planting corn or potatoes early
the following spring, as if it were an old
field that bad been planted one or more
years. The frosts of winter will Tighten
up such lard so that the tracks ofthe cattle
and carts will be as light as other parts of
the field, while land carted over in spring
will often pack down almost as hard as a
highway, and remain so all through the
growing season. much to the injury of the
crop. On land prepared in this way. we
have sometimes, in dry spring, been
enabled to SOW oats before the frost was
all out of the ground, the top three or four
inches being in the very best condition.
As oats in some sections are worthless
unless sown early. this method of getting
the ground ready the previous fall will
naturally commend itself.
If to be planted in corn, land so pre-
pared may be narrowed over two or three
times in spring, at intervals of a week or
more, and thus destroy great many
weeds that will start from the land itself
or the manure applied. In late spring,
when the farmers work comes all at once,
such previous preparation pays large per
cent on the cost. It may make all the
difference between a crop and the loss of
a crop. There is always limit to the
time in which crop can mature.
If one works a week too late in getting
ready in spring, that week may just carry
his crop into an early frost in autumn that
will destroy it. 1t is a great satisfaction
TO see ones work going along a little
ahead of the season, when neighbor is
cussing and fretting about being all be-
midland with his. Fall ploughing, fall
cultivation, and fall manuring, when the
nature of the land will permit. are great
helps towards making the next years
work run smoothly and protitably. AL
though there is far less gain in getting
quite ready for the seed where concentrate
ed manures are used in place of stable
manure. vet. if we had q field that was all
ready to receive the manure, we should
not hesitate to spread the fertilizer in the
fall and work it in the same as if using
stable manures. Our people ought to
learn that there is very little change going
on in our soils during the winter when
locked by frost The nitrates should not
be applied long before the time when veg
citation will begin to teed upon them, but
fine bone, potash, and even blood and
dried animal dust may be cultivated into
the soil in autumn without apprecable
waste. provided the land is fairly level.
and not overlooked by freshets. Plough
freely this tall, wherever it is advisable;
it will help so much in the spring