The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-10
-5e narrow and the Roller.


O,e ne d not fear to risk the statement
.b-+ whatever the future OF southern agri-
--,.,,ra NAV be, its highest development
N not he attained until the harrow and
=. roller. nave been appreciated at their
all value. The proper use of these imple-
mis- implies a thorough preparation of
80 snl and painstaking in seeding that
not he secured without the aid OF them.
\, Intelligent person who has had anything
.odo with the culture of field and garden
,r,n.. can deny that crop we'll planted is
S.lf m de an a crops not well planted un-
,,nIass The soil has been pulverized before
-anting. and certain compactness secured
- If after planti az. The first condition or
o4F.ct is oDsailed 10y the harrow, il one or
tba other of its many forms, while the sec
o,d i, obtained by the roller. On certain
soils and under certain conditions, the
r,ller may be a more effective pulverizer
aran than the harrow, in cases where clodS
are to be broken. On clayey soils the roller
NAV oftsntimes, therefore, be 10 demand as
pulveriz9r, while on sandy and loamy
soils its only right to recognition as a vail
able implement rests upon its power to
rive due compactnesS to the soil after it has
been loosened for the purpose of seeding.
This compactness on light, loose soils is as
essential as the proper loosening of the
cIayey or SITTER soils. There is happy
medium to be arrived at in respect to this,
as there is in all other matters. A soil can
be too open for the best results with many
crops. as well as too compact, and it is the
province of the roller to bring it back to a
proper degree of firmness New grounds
Astounding in undecomposed vegetable
matter. and oamy soils rich in such matter
in the state of humus, neei the services of
a heavy rol er many times in prefere .ce TO
any other implem ent, after the soil has once
been broken for the seed. Especially wheL
grain is sown in the fall is the rolling essen
tial to prevent heaving by the first freezes
that follow sowing.
Again, in the spring, as a conservator of
moisture, after sowing, when the March
winds blow or the May ought rules, is the
roller an implement If grea5 value. Where
young grain has been heaved by frost, there
is no oJner imple ment that can be used to
secure the competing of the soil about the
roots Of the young plants, and thus force
them, or aid them, to take fresh hold upon
the soil. The me. @ act of doing this many
times means the success of the CT op where
otherwise failure would result.
The harrow, to-, is not altogether an i'm
plement f preparation, indispensable as it
is for Jhat purpose in its heavier sh ipes. In
its lighter forms il is a l Implement of cul-
ture that can be be used to great advantage
on fields of brOadc st grai1, as we'll as upon
those crops that are drilled. Farmers VINO
have tested the matter are aware tAat a
spring narrowing at the begin hing of
drought, or even after dry weather has con-
tinuei for some time, has beeA the means of
saving the crop, or at any rate increasing
the yield many bushels over what 1t would
have been with the soil left with an undis-
turbed crust, whicn finally either stops en-
tlrely, or greatly dininisAes the internal
flow of moisture to ward the surface The
dew that follows the stirring Of the surface
soil is but an exhibition of renewed capil-
larry force that was rendered inactive by
the hard dry crust being interposed as BAG
rier between the internal m isture.a id that
of the atmosphere and its influence. Bre ak
this crust, and supply Of moisture, inter
nal and external, is afforded the crop in
sufficient quantity in all probability tide
it over the prevailing drought. "Inten-
sive" farming cannot be carried on without
free aud judiciouS use Of these two n
elements, AMI it is unfortunate that the
mass of our farmers are Yet to find this
out SAMUEL A. COOK.
MiLLedgeuiue, Ga.