Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-05-09
SubsOilinE.

A few years ago dis .ussion of the
merits of deep blowing and occasional
subsoil blowing was conducted in the
columns faleading agricultural paper,
and noted writer too: the position
that subsoiling was useless, but he was
SO 'worsted" in the investigation of the
subject that he has never written on
agricultural topics in that paper since.
No one who is informed can doubt
for moment that subsoiling is the
thing to be practiced in connection
with deep blowing each season. Moist
ure is the great want of all growing
plants, and to store all moisture deep
down in the earth where it will be kept
until needed at the surface is the
greatest problem to be solved; and
nothing will so fully accomplish this
indispensable requirement as deep
blowing and subsoiling.
Plant food is used by all plants
through the medium of moisture. and
without an abundant supply of moisture
the fertility in the earth cannot be
made available for plant growth. How
important then does it become to econ
omize all moisture that comes down in
the rain and melting SHOWS that grow
needed. Experiments lave been made
the press and published, giving the
most encouraging results. In fact, the
economy of subsoil blowing is support
ed By every reason in nature, and found
true in practice.
When will farmers get ready to be-
gin this important work? Will this
"broad guage" system of attempting to
farm more than can be properly done,
keep them from adopting more inn
proved system? AS long as so much is
attempted there will be little or no time
to adopt improved methods that require
extra time to carry out. How much
better it would be to attempt only what
can be well done, and then give the
best care and attention. The very best
results may be confidently looked for.
Will the farmer be admonished to
adopt what reason teaches are the only
successful methods? Will the time ever
come when farmers will abandon the
old methods and adopt new ones, that
will secure them the success that every
one desires.
The cost of blowing sufficiently deep
and subsoiling to loosen the ground
merely to a greater depth. is, when
considered in comparison with the great
results, inconsiderable If it is true
as claimed-and it cannot be we'll dis
puted-that moisture stored in the
when it is demanded at the surface,
then it is certainly true that those
means by which the moisture is stored
should be employed by all farmers if
they wish to keep up with the advance
ment and progress that is being made
in all other lines. If you have an
abundant supply of moisture at all
times, you will have the most abundant
yields of all farm crops, and will never
want for fertility, as moisture is the
great distributor of plant food, as all
forms of plant growth are supported
by the moisture that absorbs the fer
| tility in the earth and in the air. Let
us, therefore, conform to the rules and
regulations laid down by the laws of
old nature, in order that we may have
the most satisfactory results in all de-
partments of farm work.
Subsoiling may not be required often
er than once in five or ten years. A
practical test alone will determine how
frequently it will be necessary to do
this work. It is even more than prob
able that once IN ten years will be SUI
Rcient, but if required oftener, it can
not be more than once in five years,
and this will entail olittle extra labor
and require SO little extra expense that
no farmer should hesitate to employ
this advanced method to increase the
yields OF crops.
Boone, Iowa.
Hon. w. B. Sterling will deliver the
II 1F...n,:nl 4 n :, o,,o %:o,, a 4 EcOuvar1