Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-03-06
Against Subsoiling
Cor. Country Gentleman

got 10 benefit from subsoiling. |
never dig grave foranything wish
to have grow. But as far down as |
can drive the pillow Obtaining this
depth, ofcourse, by system ofwhole-
some gradual deepening), so as to
heve up the soil to the sun, so deep /
want to go.
The earth does its best work within
a very few inches of the surface, and
plants by instinct put forth their
working roots, their spongioles, close
to the top where they can feel the
genial warmth of the sun; yet they
send down few far-wandering an
chor-roots, or pump-roots they might
be termed, in search of the deeper,
constant moisture.
Our forefathers in Ohio mades light
scratches among the stumps and roots,
but the virgin soil gave them gen
erous harvest. The roots might be
considered in the light of providen-
tial interposition against their getting
too deep before the sun had done its
beneficient work in seasoning the
soil.
, On the plains of California, where
there are no tough prairie grass-roots
to prevent, they often 60 down with
their heavy, ten-horse gang-plows too
deep at the outset; and their second
crop is better than their first.
On my farm in the Muskingum
valley there is about so acres of the
fourth plateau, light sandy and gray
ely land, which is now number one
wheat land. When my grandfather
began on it sixty years ago, it was
useless, and worse than useless, to
pillow more than three or four inches,
deep. One might almost say there
was no soil; there was only an inch
or two of leafmold, and below that a
gravel which would produce nothing
but sorrel when brought to surface.
My father "hogged it'' on this gravel
plain for years, literally creating a
soil as he went down, though each
hog at butchering would have from a
gill to a half-pint of gravel in his
stomach. But the reward has been
ample; these are really the best wheat
lands on the farm to-day, not except
ing the lower plateaus.
When my grandfather began. he
could not grow above five or six
bushels of wheat per acre Il speak
advisedly) on this gravel; but about
seven years ago my tenant had a
crop of little over q bushels per
acre, l admit l have never tired sub
soiling in this gravel; it would be
folly to think of it..
The small and more or less semi
lunar-shaped bottomsalong the Musk
ingum, generally alternating, first on
this side of the river, then on that,
vary in the different plateaus from a
sandy to clay alluvium, according
as they were formed preponderantly
by glacial drift from the northern
lake regions and beyond, or from a
local and lateral inflow of clay along
the tributary creeks.
Where these bottoms are sands,
subsoiling would manifestly be mis-
placed. But at the lower end of the
bottom constituting part of my farm,
creek running in from the hills has
mingled with the river alluvium a
large percentage of clay, making a
waxy, chocolate soil of great strength
but tough to handle. Thirty years
ago or more my father bought pillow
and gave an eight-acre field of this q
very thorough subsoiling, going down
thirteen or fourteen inches. 1t was g
positive injury to it. / think the
subsoi must have packed harder than
it was before. At any rate the field
has ever since been more susceptible
to drouth, harder, more refractory
than the soil of a neighbours lot right
over the fence which had never beer
SUBSIDIZED. 1t seems poorer; it has re
quired more manuring.
About twenty-five years ago this
subsoil plOw was used on one half o
a twenty-acre field on the third pla
teau; and, later, third time, on {
part of a large field on the SECOND
plateau. On the third plateau it wa
possibly of some slight benefit; bu
On'the second, none at all.
would not condemn subsoiling OF
other soils than these, for on such
have had no experience. But OF
these heavy lands, as have said, tn
grond seemed to pack harder than i
woo hnforo LNXorx, fnrn,nr hoe al,