The Springfield herald., 1897-04-02

Every 20 feet or so run your plow
across your plowel field, turning
up as high a furrow as you can
east and west. By this means in
one day one man can increase the
precipitation on ten acres Of land
by thousand tons of snow drifts
in each spring blizzard. People
often ask, "What are the benefits
derived from cultivationw We
profit by cultivation in three di
rect ways and by indirect ways too
numerous too mention. Flrst-By
preparing the ground to receive
all tho moisture that comes.
Secondly blanketing OF bottlin@
the moisture after we have it,.
Third-By slnduclng the moisture
we keep in reserve down below to
rise to the roots of crops by capll-
larry attraction. All earthly matter
when settling down into the solid
formation. arranges itself into Ger
tain shape S, according to its ORG
nal constituents. Some porous,
some more or less solid. Ordi
nary soil, if left alone, after being
expanded with moisture gradually
settles down into the compact
state and contracts, leaving air
pipes, or pores, all through It,,
which are vary plainly visible
with microscope. The moist air
or under ground dew, rises from
the damp subsoll by capillary at
traction through these little tubes
or pores to the roots OF the crops,
and there we keep it where it is
most needed. 1t cannot escape
into the atmosphere because we
have filed up the pores or little
tubes at the top with dust and fine
dirt from the harrow or cultIvator.
In planting crops everything
should be planted as deep as it
Will come through. Corn. in warm
weather, can be planted eight
inches deep without any rsk, and
small grains from four to six inch
es, either drilled in or piowed un
der with an ordinary cultivator.
Some crops, such as squashes and
potatoes. can be greatly benefited
by ridging, /. e., plow your lands
the same width as the rows are to
be apart and planting in the dead
burrows at the same tune working
the dead iurrows well with the
pIow to avoid shallowness of soil
for the roots.
This method throws the
surplus rain to the roots of. the
plants, where it is most needed. |
have raised by this method eight
to ten wagon loads OF Hubbard
squashes per half acre. All crops
on dry farms should be planted
deep, for the reason that a root
will always be maintained at the
depth the seed is planted, and 1t
stands to reason that as long as
this root is below the drought line,
the life of the plant is assured.
Therefore, the deeper the better,
and III case of light showers, pene-
trating only an inch or more. sur
face roots will be developed al
most as soon as the need OF them
is apparent. A mistake common
with beginners is to start dry farm
ing with too small team. 1t is
better.to break Il quarter OF an acre
day nine inches or foot deep
than five acres a day four or five
inches deep. Land once broken
shallow is nearly always shallow,
and correspondingly worthless.
The proper depth can always be
attained by the ordinary ploW with
good team by blowing twice in
the same furrow or by plowing
once and over again, working
back from the dead -furrow. 1t is
impossible to plow too deep In the
right kind OF soil, and il you have
the horses and a subsoiler, so
much the better. After the first
deep plowing the subsequent
plowlngs are as easy and quick as
the scratchIngs we see around us
every day. When we come to
consider that the dry farmer has
no bitches to clean out III the best
part of the planting season, no