Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-02-02
From Viola

Tor The httter very soon, much needed
work in the preparation 1T the sml for
The coming corn crop has been delayed.
u courSt tbs will stimulate The energy
al the humlng community and induce
them Ia take advantage of every np
porIunily tor doing such work, aud too
often il Is the case under such crrum
stances HAT too little attention Is paid
10 the CONDITION of the soil in its prep
arnll"n lor the coming crop. Jusr
here, il my opinion, is whrre the great
tronble comes In, and Whtre most o
our ebay sol receives its grenleSt injury.
AT this season ot the Wear ii is almn t
al~nys wet. even il comparatively dry
oo.lhe surface. But AT the depth ",
uuIIy pillow, when turned upit is often
found to BE- wet, which, in drying, he,
comes hard, aud no amount Of rain,
during the season can reduce it to It
mellow condition. The co,Is, with
suitable implements, may he made
smaller, yet the small clod$ will pre-
vent th9' close contact with the ROOTS
which Is nectSsaly to successful
growth, leaving the soil nprn 10 thy
effects of droulh.
was once an advocate of the theory
of deep blowing, and at any season at
the year. i had a field of one hun,
dred acres to prepare tor corn. | rel t.
ell 40 acres to a tenant, and furnished
him with good Dodge pillow and leam.
He prepared the land in the usual way.
We both commenced planting the same
day and finished the same day. He
planting 40 acres and 55 acres. We
cultivated bnth pieces in much the
same way, laying by about the same
time. plowed my plat with " good
Avery plow better than the Dodgr)
ss deep as could pillow it, following
it with duck bill coulter, pulled by
two heavy mules as deep as they could
pull it. breaking the ground from 10
to II inches deep. The blowing all
being done in the latter part Of the
winter and early spring. At gathering
and feeding time from the best estimate
could make think the forty FIVE
acres made at least as much. if not
more, per acre, and the corn remained
green from ten DAYS to two weeks later
in the fall, while ! think the 6fty.ive
acres had. before sobsoiling, at least u
barrel TO the acre the advantage in
point of soil. The soil Of the 55.acre
plat presented harsh, brick-like ap-
pearance all through the season, while
the other was Loose and friable. This
satisfied me that subsoiling in the wiz
ter and early spring would not do.
Yet was not willing to abandon thu
theory Of deep blowing, and conclude d
to experiment again the next season
with another field Of corn. | broke
the ordinary way in the latter part of
winter and early spring, and after
planting, and the corn well up, run
the bar Of the one horse Avery pillow
next to the corn, and followed it with
long bull tongue in Same furrow, and
in this way went over the field and
then turned and plowed out the mid
dies with same plows and in same way,
(followips the Avery with bull tongue
only made about half the corn thai
year that did ten years previous or
the same field, though the season wa
DOT altogether 50 good, | have no
SUBSIDIZED any since, neither do l like t,
pillow when wet. merely make these
suggestions that your readers may re
aect upon them, | will give it as my
opinion that our soil Is Injured mort
by plowing when too wet than hy the
amount Of grain taken from it. .
| cannot close this wi,hou: speaking
IN commendablc terms Of the thrift
energy and enterprise ST. clearly mani
tested in tho way Of neat cottages, gn0C
fences, lUXurian, wheat fields aud al
abundance Of grain and forage, such a
NAV b. seen from McMinuville as far
north as Potter's store. / know of M
part OF our county (all things consider
ed that has improved So rapidly it
the last ten years. The luxurian
growth Of wheat, grass and clover, ~