Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-09-20
THE SUBS0lL PLAN.
Some Interesting and Instructive
Facts in Relation to Its Bene-
fetal Results.
Facts Which Will Repay the Careful
Perusal Of the Farmers Along
the Slope.
Results of Experiments Which Have
Been Mad in Nebraska, and
Other Western States
Advantages of subsoiling.

Advantages of Subsoiling.
A little pamphlet, setting forth the
benefits and satisfying results of subsoil
blowing, is being distributed to farmers
of the county by Messrs. Hare & Holt,
The hardware dealers. In it are given
the arguments in favor Of deep blowing
which is done by a great number of
instead of the shallow blowing
farmers, and some comparative results
of the two methods are given, as the ex-
perience of Nebraska nursery farmers
who have tried subsoiling for some eight
years. From their reports, the value OF
deep blowing to the farmers is immense,
and the TRIBUNE gives a brief resume of
the facts as stated, for the benefit of the
agriculturalists in this county.
It has been demonstrated says the
pamphlet that even in the semi-arid
regions Of Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota
and other states, by deep tillage a crop
can be secured, whereas by the ordinary
methods OF shallow blowing it would be
a total failure. The necessity, therefore
forces itself upon farmers residing IN
those regions to pillow q certain number
of acres every year in such manner as to
insure a sufficient crop of the various
cereals and vegetables to supply his
family and stock throughout the year.
This would seem to be, IN view Of past
experience, an imperative necessity, and
no farmer Of prudence should be salts
fed to stake his all upon a large acreage
of one crop put in in the usual name
Experience abundantly proves that it
will not do to turn several inches of sub.
soil to the surface, for the reason that no
subsoil, however rich, is in condition to
nourish vegetation until it has received
the fertilizing influence of the sun, at
mosphere, frost and rain, while a clay or
sandy subsoil never should be turned to
the surface. For this reason deep tillage
with plows that turn the subsoil on top
has received well-merited condemnation.
The benefits Of subsoiling are that it
enables each square foot of surface to
take care of it's own rainfall, and store
1T up to nourish the crop through the I'M
usually dry months Of July and August
and is equally beneficial in a wet season,
absorbing the rainfall instead Of allow
ing it to lie on the surface or run of in
rivulets, carrying the soil with it.
The Nebraska firm in question, who
argue in favor of subsoiling, give their
experience as follows: i'm the spring
Of 1887 We commenced on our nursery
grounds to prepare the ground for plant
ing in the ordinary manner. We plowed
the ground about eight inches deep and
planted our nursery stock, among which
was a quantity of seedlings which were
dug the same fall. Iu order to get the
proper length of root to successfully
transplant the seedlings it became neces-
sary 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. It required six horses to do this
work, and the ground vas stirred up as
it had never been before. The next sea-
son this portion of the field was planted
to corn, and the yield was nearly 70
bushels per acre, while land plowed in
the ordinary way yielded only IS bush
els. Land subsoil plowed in the fall Of
1892 and planted to corn in the spring
of 1893, yielded rs bushels per acre;
while corn on land not subsoiled. but
otherwise treated in identically the same
manner, yielded but SO bushels per acre.
Land SUBSIDIZED and planted to potatoes
in the spring of 1893 yielded l25 bushels
per acre, while the potato crop on land
not subsoiled was practically a failure.
This season (l894) the yield of potatoes
on SUBSIDIZED land was 96 bushels per
acre. The potatoes we're planted on the
18th of May, and on June % We had the
last heavy rain of the season. From
June % to August 16 we had 40 OF an
inch of rainfall, less than half an inch in
fifty.four days, and still we raised a fair
crop of potatoes. Rye on subsoiled land
yielded 301155 bushels per acre; on land
not subsoiled, 2@ bushels. Oats sown
on land which had raised n crop of
corn since subsoiling yielded 44h bush.
els per acre; on land which had raised
two crops Of corn since subsoiling, 1914
bushels per. acre; on land not subsoiled,
II bushels per acre."
Using the Ties.
Following out it's policy Of economy,
the Northern Pacific management is
taking advantage of the tens of thous-