The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-03-01
Benefits o. subso,Iipe.

~ ~AS9 w ALAACAuHS tHdN III
regard to our method of subsoiling we
will endeaVor to present a plain state
ment from the commencement Of our
experiments as conducted during the
past eight years at Geneva, Nebraska
In the spring of 1887 we commenced or
our nursery grounds to prepare the
ground for planting in the ordinary
manner. We plowed the ground about
eight inches deep and planted our nur-
seFy stock, among which was qusnti-
ty Of seedlings which were dug the
same fall In order to get the proper
length of root to successfully trans
plant the seedlings it became necessary
TO get under them much deeper than
the ground had been plowed, which
was accomplished by using a seeding
digger set to run nearly sixteen inches
deep. 1t required six horses TO do this
work and the ground was stirred up as
it had never been before The next
season this field was planted to corn
and the yield was nearly 70 bushels
per acre, while land plowed in the ordi-
nary way yielded only IS bushels. This
led us to experiment in preparing the
soil, Our motto being: ..'Plow deep and
thoroughly prepare the soil before
planting"
Each succeeding year gave us good
results by deep stirring, though we did
not attain the full measure OF success in
our experiments until we began to use
ploW to subsoil the entire ground. In
the fall of 1891 we purchased a Mapes
subsoil plow with which we succeeded
IN getting down to the depth of six
teen inches below the surface. Our
method is to first pillow eight inches
deep with an ordinary 14-inch stirring
pillow which is followed by the subsoil
ploW running in the same furrow loos-
ening the soil to the depth of eight
inches more but not throwing it to the
surface, This gives US a reservoir six.
teen inches in depth to catch and re-
tain all the moisture that falls, and we
are convinced that during the twenty
three years we have resided in Fillmore
county there has never been a season
when the rainfall was not sufficient to
I'LL this reservoir with water before the
growing season commenced
We have been asked the following
questions by correspondents:
Q.-When do you subsoil-fall or
spring?
Ave have subsoiled both in spring
and fall with equally good results.
GLOW many horses do you use?
Ave use three horses on each
plow, though two good horses will do
the work.
Q.-Wbat kind of plow do you use?
A-The Mapes subsol pillow, manu-
featured by Deere & Co., Moline, Ill.
Cost of pillow, S1400.
Q.-What is the nature of your soil?
A.-See analyses of the soil, and let
ter Of Prof. Whitney appended hereto.
Q-Is your land upland or bottom?
Alt is upland prairie, the depth to
water being ia feet.
Q.-What is the cost per acre of
blowing by your method?
A.-As the subsoil plow is drawn by
a separate team and follows in the
same furrow behind the stirring pillow,
it simply amounts to one extra plow-
ing.
Q-What is your method of cultiva-
ton?
A.-0ur method is first to harrow
each evening all the land plowed dur
ing the day. This breaks up the clods
before they become hardened, and pre-
vents the soil from drying out by evap-
grafton Before planting we again
harrow and pulverizc the surface with
a float " We arc then ready for plant
ing.
If we plant to small grain we drill
east and west, leaving the surface just
as the drill leaves it. As the prevail
ing winds are from the north and south.
the surface being made rough east and
west helps to protect the grain and pre-
vent blowing out
If we plant to corn our method is to
plant about three or four inches deep,
follow the planter with the harrow,
and give surface cultivation, run
ming the cultivator teeth just deep
enough to destroy the weeds and break
" VIZ sui aes(C "a b4tC oOt4s W z EuGEdNOl
to cultivate the corn just MS soon after
each rain as the condition of the
ground will permit If the rain be
heavy one and the soil is firmly packed
1t Is OF the utmost Importance that the
crust be broken as soon as possible in
order to retain the moisture in the soil,
the loose surface soil acting as mulch
To OreVeD6 evarOra fiop
During the past exceedingly dry sea
son, our nursery particularly
one field containing 500, 600 apple trees
was cultivated once a week. We
used a spring tooth cultivator merely
stirring the surface, and as a result of
this method of cultivation there was no
time during the entire season when the
earth would not ball in the hand under
slight pressure at depth of three
inches below the surface, This condi-
ton was brought about By having
deep subsoiI reservoir to store up the
surplus moisture which fell during the
early part of the season. and retained
by frequently stirring the surface TO
prevent evaporation.
We find that it is not necessary to
subsoil each season, but that once in
three years will answer all practical
purposes. If field is SUBSIDIZED and
planted to corn the first, or first and
second year, then followed by
wheat or oats, the results will be salts
factory, though a slight falling off
viii be noticed in the third crop after
subsoiling IFor instance. A field
that was SUBSIDIZED in the fall of 1891
and cropped to corn seasons of '92
and '93, was planted to oats in the
spring of 'g4 and produced G yield of
5014 bushels per acre; while on another
portion OF the same field which had
been SUBSIDIZED in the fail of 80 and
raised 3 crop of corn the season of '9S,
the yield Of oats was Az bushels per
acre, showing a difference of 5 bushei
per acre in favor of the land which had
raised but one crop since subsoiling.
Now We will compare the results on
land On the same farm net subsoiled.
Land subsoil plowed IN the fall Of 1892
and planted to corn IN the fall OF 1893,
yielded IS bushels per acre: while corr.
on land not SUBSIDIZED, but otherwise
treated in identically the same manner,