News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-10-23
FARM AND GARDEN.
The Time and Manner of Flowing.

-
No definite rule may be laid down by
which to govern either the time or man.
ner of blowing, but each piece OF land
must be considered by itself, and broken
up at season and in the way best suit
| ed to its especial necessities. To decide
that soil should be plowed spring or fall,
deep or shallow, without considering
the character of the soil, the locality and
the nature of the crop to be grown, Is
piece of folly no progressive Turner Is
guilty of committing.
While judgment is required in this
matter of blowing, and each farmer
must decide many questions for himself,
there exist some general rules that may
assist beginners at arriving at right con-
illusions.
Heavy clay soil appears to require the
alternate freezings and thawings OF win
ter to pulverize it. Fields overrun with
weeds are benefited by fall blowing,
which turns under these noxious
growths with the haulm of the crops be-
fore their seed natures, and not only
destroys, but forces them to enrich the
land. The exposure of injurious insects
to the weather is another argument ID
favor OF falI ploW1ng.
The depth of the soil and the charac-
ter of the subsoil must determine the
question of deep and shallow blowing.
The subsoil, as rule, ought not to be
brought out of its bed except in small
quantities, to be exposed to the atmos-
phere during the fall and spring, or in
summer fallow, nor even then except
when such fertilizers are applied as are
necessary to put it at once into a pro-
ductive condition. Two Indifferent
soils of opposite character, as stiff clay
and sliding sand, sometimes occupy the
relation of surface and subsoil to each
other. When thoroughly incorporated
and subjected to deep cultivation these
will produce a soil of greatly increased
value.
River soils having good natural drain
age respond favorably to deep blowing,
as do the black, porous and fertile lime
stone soils. Land that is dry, with bus
few inches of good soil, will mott,
course, produce as satisfactory crops by
deep as by shallow blowing. These
conditions, however, it ought to be ex-
planned, are susceptible of improvement
by thorough system of subsoiling and
liberal manuring. Deep blowing is not
advisable when basin is formed below
a certain line in which water will settle
and remain until it can escape by evapo-
ration. Such soils require drainage be-
fore they can be plowed deep.
To sum up the subject briefly, thin
soils with worthless subsoils must be
plowed shallow until the farmer can ex-
pend the labor and expense of subsoil-
ing and manuring for a number of
years. Deep clay loans and alluvial
soils bear deep blowing. Wet lands
should be drained previous to deep
blowing. The medium course of plow-
ing, from five to six inches deep, is ex-
empt from the harmful results of the
two extremes.
There exists unanimity of opinion
among farmers that sandy or dry soil re-
quires flat blowing, which serves to con-
solidate the land, while on low or strong
soils the burrows are best left on edge.
Everybody understands that ground
should not be broken up while too wet,
but the reverse of blowing heavy clay
lands when too dry, Is often practiced
and always with i'll effects attending.
For best results, sufficient moisture is
required to cause the burrows to fall
loosely from the pillow, with no appear
anee of packing aud no Jumps.