The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-08-16

DEEP OR SHALLOW CULTURE?
The relative merits of deep or shall
low culture for farm crops have never
been fully settled. 1t is claimed that
the only advantage of deep culture is
in the fact that the loosening of the
soil allows the heat to penetrate deeper
into the soil than it otherwise would
do. Many plants also, as corn, have
roots that grow near the surface. Pro-
fessor Sturtevant, of the New York Ex-
pertinent Station, is inclined to think
that the roots of corn and similar
plants grow near the surface because
the soil is warmer there than deeper
down. Last season he conducted
series of experiments at the station to
test whether the location of plants in
the soil was governed more by
temperature of the soil or by its fertil-
ity. He has recently made public an
account of these experiments, as fol-
lows:
''In the spring of 1887 four pits were
dug, each three feet in diameter Two
of these We're filled to the top with fer
tile soil, mixed with compost, the other
two were filled with the same to the
depth of two feet, and finished to the
top with clay that had been taken
from the bottom of the pits. In the
center of two of these pits, one of
which was filled with clay, two four
inch sole tiles were placed erect, one
resting on the other, so that tube was
formed to the depth of twenty-eight
inches. In each of the other two pits
one tile was placed, making tube in
the center fourteen inches deep. The
tiles were then filled to the top with
fertile soil, tamped in lightly to insure
a continuous column. Thus prepared
we had abundant fertile soil at the
bottom of all the pits, while in two the
surface soil was very infertile clay.
I'm each of the two pits containing
the single length of tile, few kernels
of Washakum corn were planted in the
soil within the tile, while in the tiles of
the other pits seeds of the Student par
snip were planted. These plants We're
chosen because the corn is known to
root shallow, and the parsnip Deep
After the seeds had vegetated the young
plants were thinned to one for each pit.
The corn plants made an excellent
growth, and each produced several
stalks. The one in the pit topped out
with clay yielded three merchantable
ears and live nubbins. The parsnip
plants were fair growth.
''On September "a, the roots of the
corn plants were washed out and ex-
amined. In neither the pit filled to
the surface with fertile soil, nor in the
one topped out with clay did the roots
incline upward to any extent. The
appearance was the same as if the bot
tom of the soil corresponded to the
surface of the soil The roots were
very much as in their natural position,
extending in every direction except
upward.
"On September % the roots of the
parsnip plants were examined in the
same manner. Very few roots had
penetrated to the bottom of the second
tile, and these grew outward, inclin-
ing down. But in both plants roots
had grown out at the junction of the
two tiles. In the pit filled to the sur
face with rich soil these roots unques-
tionably inclined upward, some of the
fbers reached almost to the surface.
In the other pit, where the junction of
the tiles was about at the union of the
fertile soil and clay, one large root
came out and turned at once down.
ward into the rich soil, another in
clined downward, but descended grad
ually; third grew straight outward,
and some of its tibrous branches de-
scended, while as many more ascend
ed.
THAT the roots of the parsnip,
plant that thrives in cool climates, and
roots very deeply, should have inclined
upward more than those of corn, a
shallow roofing, tropical plant, was
hardly to be expected. The parsnip
plants, however. did not make full de-
while those of the corn
made an unusually strong growth.
Leaving out the parsnip case, which
is perplexing, the fact that the corn
roots made their full development
more than foot below the surface,
while the greater part are usually
found within the first four inches
of the soil, and while there was moth
ing to prevent them from rising to
the warmer soil above, is evidence
that abundant food and moisture are
more essential to the development OF
corn than a high soil temperature.
''In order to make sure that the roots
of corn plants. growing under ordinary
lay no deeper in the soil
than usual the past season, the roots
of plants were washed out and exam
ined. They were found to be, as in
former seasons, chiefly within two to
five inches of the surface.