The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-01-28
FARM And GARDEN NOTES.
ITEMS OF TIMELY INTEREST TO THE
FARMERS.
New Fodder Crops. Ceese."Save Your
Communicating OF Beef Cattle tor
MaPket
HOW AND WHEN TO PLow.

distinguished scientist. The questions
follow: "Shall blowing be deep or shall
low: Shall land be plowed in the fail
or spring? Shall the blowing be care
fully done or does it make any differ
ence 80 long as the land is turned
overT'
To which Professor Shaw makes
answer as follows, through the col
urnns of the Northwestern Agricultu-
rist: The question of deep and shallow
blowing is entirely one of conditions.
These questions relate to soil, the sea-
son and to the crop to be grown. AS
rule, it is not wise to plOw thin, light
soil deeply. If we let the plow run
deep we bring up raw and poor soil,
ard we bury the mould 50 essential TO
the sustenance Of quick and early
growth; and both of these are impor-
tant in securing good crops.
Soils that are as rich below as above
may be plowed at any time, providing
they can be kept sufficiently moist; but
remember moisture is affected by the
depth Of the blowing, as Win be shown
below, and stiff Gays must not he
ploWed deeply when the sowing fol-
lows close upon the pl)wing. The
newly upturnel earth may have lots
of fertility in it. but it u1l2ehs 50 that
the young plants cann5t get enough of
it to enable them to make a respacta-
bic growth. But under the opposite CON
ditions they may grew more freely,
and sometimes ought to be ploWe1
more deeply.
As a rule. lands can be p,owcd more
deeply in the fall than in the spring,
ana the less moist the climate tie
greater die necessity fer pbowlng such
lands in the fall. When thus plowed
i'll the fall they fern a firncr seed bed
than if plowcd in the spring. hence il
can better retain moisture. The
lighter and the more spongy the soil,
however. the more important, relative
ly, is fall blowing, because of the in
creased power which it gives land to
retain moisture.
Again, in all soils much of the food
for plants is held in forms which the
plants cant get at until they become
available. Now, exposure during the
winter to sum- rain, frost and wind has
tendency to unlock or liberate more
or less of the food, hence ordinarily n
surface turned up in ~the fall has
plenty of fool fpr. tie young plants
whom sown upon it, and in forms easily
accessible; whereas, such plants
piowed in the spring, there would not
be time for the liberation OF food to
the same extent until the plants were
well grown. In dry season there
would be but little opportunity for
such liberation. for it does not take
place readily in the absence Of m1is-
ture. When blowing must neel be done
i'll the spring. therefore, it should never
be deeper than the old furrow. lest
diately accessible.
The aim of the Northwest. therefore.
food in it which would not be mme-
raw soil should be brought up with
should be to turn every furrow that
can possibly be turned for crop produc-
fallen the past season make it possible
for the plOws to go down this fall
Serd them down. farmers; make the
most of your opportunity. Try hard to
turn every furrow this fall Turn ont
early, return home laie. and work on
and on until the last furrOw is turned,
providing your horses can stand it.
corn crop requires a deeper furrow
than ii crop Of barley and mangel
crop needs deeper furrow than a
crop of corn. We must have some re-
gard, then, as to the needs Of the crop
when determining the depth to which
we shall plow. But even for those
deep-rooted crops it viii be apparent
that when blowing the land for them
in the spring we shoul not go down SO
deep as though we had plowed in the
fall
The manner of the blowing Is all i'm
portant. The chief objects of blowing
are, first, to bury the vegetation thai
may cucumber the surface Of the land;
second, to loosen up the soil so that
lIie IGotS Oh p4aNtS CHI pelleUnIe II;
and. third, to secure an even seed bed
favorable to the sowing of the seed
and to the reaping of the harvest. Now,
if the blowing is so done that veseta-
ton is not covered, it will not quickly
decay; it will be in the way If weeds
are left with the heads sticking out
between the burrows, they will at once
begin to grow, and if the burrows are
Carelessly turned there will be uneven
ness in the surface that will render
the sowing Of the seed less effective
and will enhance the labor of removing
the harvest. So be convinced of the ne
ccssity for careful blowing. One has
but to observe the effects Of careless
plowing in country in which the soil !,
is stiff. II oftentimes means crop fail |
ure when good blowing would be at
tended with success in crop produc-
ton. But ia rich prairie lands careful !
blowing is not so necessary to good crop
and this explains in part
nj least much of the wretched pbwing