The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-08-08
Subsoiling.

pare the soil that il will take and re-
tain moisture to such depth as to
enable it to meet all demands made on
it by the crops being raised. With the
ground hard and little time given for
the soaking of the water, heavy rain
DOS little good, for the greater portion
of the rainfall runs off on the surface
all for lack of a proper receptacle in
the subsoil, where ii may be held for
future use. 1t is wonderful how much
more moisture may be found in anacre
of SUBSIDIZED ground in dry season than
in an acre not so treated. 1t is claimed
by Professor Sanborn that an acre Of
ground SUBSIDIZED had in dry Septem-
Der, to depth of IS inches, l1O,625
pounds more water than an adjoining
acre not SUBSIDIZED. There is no ques-
ton but that this would carry stand
ing crop through a dry period severe
enough to kill off the crop on the ad-
joining acre. Subsoiling has also
been proved TO enable the fertilizers
applied to field to do far more salts
factory work than is possible on field
not Observation-Disclosures State Board of
Agriculture Report
plants will starve in any soil, how
ever fertile, unless water is present TO
dissolve the food elements and Or epare
them for the plants use. The soils
that are most thoroughly pulverized
and divided into fine particles SO that a
better mechanical arrangement of the
soil grains (resting lightly and uniform
ly one against the other is secured,
are capable, as a rule. Of holding the
highest percentage of moisture This
moisture, in turn, draws from the soil
the highest percentage of food, and
soil In this condition obtains much
more value from given quantity of
fertilizer than a soil of coarser or more
uneven texture. and a consequent less
ened capacity TO retain water. Ma
nures usually increase the moisture
content of soil, by improving the
mechanical arrangement of the soil
grains, and in this way become a means
to make it's own food elements better
available TO the plant, besides unlock
ing fertility in the soil itself not before
available TO the plant because Of in.
sufficient moisture to dissolve It'll.
K. Hilton, in Kansas State Board of
Agriculture Report.
"Our ordinary prairie and bluff soil,
as plowed year after year to depth of
four or FIVE inches, becomes impacted
just below the shallow, mellow sur
face by the treading of the horses in
the furrow and the pressure Of the
pillow in rolling the burrows until it be-
comes almost as impervious as hard
PAN" writes Prof. j. L. Budd, of the
Iowa agriculture college. "Subsoiling
to depth of from IL to Is inches gives
deep seed bed, that holds moisture
even during such trying season as the
past one. During the past IS years we
have practics6 a method of subsoiling
in garden, potato field and nursery
which has given remarkable results
with little increased cost. We subsoil
deeply under the rows only, just prior
to planting. With this plan, the sum-
mer rains run under the rows, and, if
the fall is considerable it percolates
from the softened trenches under the
intervening spaces and softens the
whole surface. AS an instance, in
planting potatoes in garden or field,
we marx out the rows Win the SD DSOll
litter, running it under each row to q
depth of from II to Is inches. On this
deep, mellow seed bed the seed is
dropped and pressed down by stepping
on the pieces. The pressure of the
foot sinks the seed down in the mellow
furrow four or five inches, permitting
perfect covering with harrow. Over
these trenches we have grown 800 bush
els per acre, when on untrenched soil
the yield was less than 100. But the
gain is not so apparent in very wet
seasons. In the nursery, we run the
subsoil litter under every row. The
rows for setting gratis of cherry, plum
and pear we mellow up to depth of
Is inches by running two or three
times in each row. During the past
Dry summer, all visitors have been sur
prised at the growthy expression and
perfect health of our nursery trees
standing over these deeply mellowed
trenches. kansas State Board of
Agriculture Report.