Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-06-25
THE FARM AND HOME.
WHY AND WHEN sussoiLINo
rs ADVANTAGEOUS
sterlng M0Gstare Tor TImss Of DFoafh
-Ra&sIaa sEuIberries Picking APP
Pies = shaap shsAElnxs And
Home HlneA


Advantage Of eubsotltnEs
What Is the natural condition Of tho
sUbsoil below the usual depth OF The
furrOwa In virgin soil nearly cleared
Of Its original forest growth. il IS full
Of hollows made by the decay o. tree
roots and forming natural under
drainage for surface water But the
eject OF frequent shallow cultivation
IS TO gradually close these Orihces and
reduce the subsol to solid impen-
etrable mass Such soil does not
hold so much water Hence a. the
country grows older drpughts are
more frequent As the suhsoil cannot
absorb great deal the surface Is
washed bY Hoods In winter and spring.
IL Is this sudden alienation from vet
70 dry that makes undertaking
necessary as ths country grows older.
II Is not merely To carry OF surplus
water in the rainy reason bat 70
deepen the soil. 50 that i may retain
more moisture against times o.
drought.
For this purpose the subsoi psoE
most ordinarily supplements the I'M
derdrain- Under ths ordinary furrow
IS hard crust where the mold board
has pressed and compaeted tho SOL
while It was moist Frost does not 20
below this crust at the depth % or3ia-
ary furrowa except when severe cold
weather fnds the surface bare 81 snow.
Even when u u broken By frost IN
less there Is good drainage beneath
this subsOil Is filed with water. ard
II plowed in spring the mold board
forms the crust where e wps before
What IS needed Is sufficient outlet be-
meath 70 prevent the subs0a from Be.
coming more than MOST Then q 3
readily penetrated By frost which ex-
pands the particles o. soil and enables
it 10 hold more moisture without being
sodden.
Subsolling IS found ia practice 10 81
especially helpful 20 crops like pcsa
Toes that always suffer late ia summer
from lack Of moisture. Potatoes ike
cool moist soil and send their roots
deep wherever snbsoIling has given
them a chance The good effects Of
the subsoiling are visible for several
years thereafter and espee-
tally In the Increased clover growth
when the field Is seeded Clover roots
deeply. but y cannot except slowly.
penetrate an unbroken subsolL Break
up this with subsoil ploW and the
clover roots will continue In succs slve
years 70 so deeper each one as Il de-
Gays forming q path Of vegetable
mold for its SUCCESSOR II = often dir.
hcult on heavy soil long cultivated 10
get o good clover catch. n the clio.
yer starts L does not make the growth
it ought Prepare the land 81 pre-.
vtous subsoiling and this dimcal,Y
will disappear. The deeper cgoger
roots the better il Is Tor the land ~
the roots In the subs0il extract miner.
al fertility which Il thus brought
nearer the surface.
There has been immense improve.
ment In the tools used for surface cu,.
tivation Of hoed crops since the DAYS
when q plow vas merely run between
the rows The modern cuitivators
fail Of their effect says the American
Cultivator. however II there Il not
beneath the surface a moist sub4oil
from which water can Be drawn up bv
capillary attraction. The surface cui-
ttvation makes mulch II Il Is over
q dry. hard subsoii little good Il done
az moisture cannot come from where
II does not exist In the early davs
the natural underdrainage from plenty
Of vegetable matter and decaylnr tree
roots ia the subsoii kept Il moist.
Ibis probably was one reason why
thoughts in the early settlement, 3,
any locality we're less injurious than
they are nov. But this instead 81
being an argument against under
draining. Is the strongest argument
for Il But it shows plainly enough
tina. undertaking to DO as effective
as i can be made must be supplement-
ed BY subsoiling as often. at least a.
once in four or Eve years.