The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-22
New Gospel of Soil Culture.

In lieu of the old style of ploughing,
fathers did, without a thought other
| than that nature or kind providence
would do the rest, we have the new
method, where all work is done for
/ the sole purpose of getting the soil
into certain mechanical conditions for
the purpose of securing certain results
which are necessary for the healthy
and continuous growth of the plant.
The following comparisons may be well
made: The old way is to plough about
II inches, then drag, and if there is
any object in view, it is to get what
they term good seeded, with scarce
" thought of the roots, supposing,
however, that it wants loose soil so the
roots can grow easily.
The new plan: First disk or other
wise pulverize the top three or four
inches; then plough eight inches deep,
turning it bottom up, thus placing the
pulverized top four inches with its
stubble or manure at the bottom; then
use what is known as q. sub-surface
packer, which again pulverizes and
firms the lower four or five inches of
the furroW- This pulverized and firmed
condition of the bottom or lower por-
ton of the furroW slice is very i'm
portant, for by it more water is drawn
there by its increased capillary attrac-
ton. By this increase of moisture and
firmness of soil we have the most de-
sirable condition for a prolific growth
of rootlets or feeders from the lateral
and main roots, result never attained
in loose soil and a condition vital to a
strong. healthy, fruitful plant. After
the seed is put in. everything being
sown or planted in rows far enough
apart to cultivate between the rows,
-
that of establishing the moisture line
and maintaining the same throughout
the growing season, a very important
condition. This is accomplished by
running a fine-tooth cultivator through
the entire cultivating season about two
inches deep, cultivating often enough
to keep this surface of two inches loose
and dry, never running the cultivator
deeper or shallower. Under this plan
abundance of moisture will always be
found up to the bottom of the loose
or cultivated soil and known as the
moisture line" Lateral roots will be
found from one to one and a half
inches below the moisture line in quite
liberal numbers. Any deeper cultiva-
ton will destroy more or less of these !
lateral roots, and regardless of any
number of these roots decreases the
crop yield. This moisture line plays
an important part in third new
feature, that of conducting the water |
from a rain of any magnitude down |
into the subsoil where it may be utii- /
lied by the plant later on.
1t is = well known fact that a moist |
surface has no affinity for a dry surface. |
This any one has noticed who has |
watered plants in garden when the !
surface soil was perfectly dry One |
notices this when the water is first aD- |
piled. for there is no percolation for |
time and not until the air has been |
forced away from the dry surface by the |
weight Of the water that molecule after
of water fastens itself to the |
dry surface of the particles of soil on
down until the water has disappeared en-
tirely and left nothing but traces of
water on the surface of each little par
Licle of soil, which is now enveloped in a
thin film. Now apply a small quantity
more on the surface and it almost inn
nediately disappears. because the second
duplication finds an entire changed con-
iiuon; instead of the repuisive, dry sur