The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-07-16

lOTlaGo Ine SOIL, Wuctcao ~ wiz I'LL
prove under grass.
! S. M. Lee said his plan is, corn
the first year, followed by wheat and
clover. Let the clover remain two
years and pillow it under for wheat.
Set il again in grass, which remains
five years. Thus the land is plowed
only three times in ten years. He
thought the crop of clover turned
down is Of more value than fertilizers,
He uses from one.fourth to one-halt
Of the cloyer and plows down the
balance. He disapproved of putting
wheat stubble in wheat, regarding it
as a waste on most lands. VIM
Webster's opinion was that there is
more profit in letting land lie in grass
and in grazing cattle than In blowing
it. He thought three times in ten
years often enough to pillow up the
entire farm. He would follow corn
with wheat and grass and the fifth
year go back again to corn. There
is no risk of land deterorating while
in grass by washing of the soil or
fertilizers. No enemy attacks grass
and the only risk is in getting a good
set.
John Moores said his system was
a seven years. rotation. He tries to
cover a sod with manure or straw
and pillow it down tor corn. The
same fall it is put in wheat. The
second year part of it in wheat and
the remainder in oats Then in
wheat, with timothy and clover. 1t
remains four years in grass and then
goes in corn again. Under the syst
EN- advocated by Mr.. Lee he had
raised from twelve to fourteen bush
els of wheat, now he gets thirty to
thirty.fiye bushels and twelve to
fourteen barrels of corn. Two fields
are kept for permanent pasture, by
feeding on them in winter.
If blowing is delayed until week or
so before seeding, or the narrowing is
neglected, the work of preparation be-
comes much more laborious. The hard
ened soil is turned over in clods and
Jumps, which thus doubly exposed to
sun and drying winds, become hardened
almost beyond the power of crushing,
and at best are but little better than
dust in which TO seed. The labor of
crushing them is double that of mellow.
ing fresh, plowed soil, and the going
over these well.mellowed fields occasion
ally to keep them in fne condition, u.s.
ing the Woodworking harrow, does not
equal by any means the other half that
the work of the lumpy and clod-covered
field will demand.
Another valuable point made in the
earlier blowing and fitting, is that all
vegetation is put under, and the occa-
sional narrowing destroys any that may
appear; but the rough, unharrowed field
often appears half covered with weeds
and grass, which have grown up
through the half-turned burrows, and
which are bother to overcome in the
hurry of favorable day to drill the
wheat
But few farmers have choice of soil
in which to grow wheat, and it is neces
sary to obtain mechanical effect of ma
nures and machinery, to break down
and make very fine the seed bed. The
frequent blowing under of crops of clo-
yer, and the application of stable ma
nures, afford the mechanical effect of
vegetable matter. On the heavy clay
soils, clover is especially valuable, and
it's importance more clearly made evil
dent each year, and as a means of rem
dering soil loose and friable, has no
equal.
FALL FLOWING
is largely practiced by fruit growers,
especially where the soil is of a clayey
texture. Not only is the soil reduced by
the action of the frosts finer than any
tool can reduce it; but the roots of
thistles, quackgrass, and other weeds
exposed to the surface are destroyed
by the alternate freezing and thawing,
also many injurious insects, which be-
ing disturbed after reaching their whit
err quarters are benumbed by exposure,
and are destroyed by freezing and by
birds. Previous to blowing it is desir-
able that an application of manure
should be given the soil, as it will be-
come partially rotted before spring and
thoroughly incorporated with the soil.
Manure freshly applied in the spring