Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-04-16
agricultural.
Winter and Early Spring Flowing.

The farm am now working is the
same have worked from boyhood, and
am still trying to find out the best way
to handle the clay soil to get the most
from it. Winter blowing, before the
drainage, did not give satisfaction, be-
cause too much water lay on the surface
till evaporated, leaving the land too
hard and lifeless. Since the land has
been tiled drained, we are again trying
fall and winter blowing.
On account of gathering heavy corn
crop, and hauling manure on the clover
sod, we did not get the pillow started till
Dec. %. At intervals we plowed with
one team till Jan. II, including the last
date. Since that, up to the present date,
Feb. 20, we have not had weather OIL
soil in condition to pillow. The weather
prospects now are that it will be many
days before we can again start the pillow.
When we pillow during the fall and win
ter, we aim to pillow little deeper than
the land has been plowed before. The
field we are blowing now has been in
cultivation more than so years, and
probably has never been plowed, on an
average, five inches deep. want to get
more loose soil, and to do it | must
winter pillow, for it would be fatal to the
succeeding crop to turn up an inch OF
subsoil by spring blowing.
The blowing already done in this field
is deeper than has been the custom.
Now, when we again start the pillow, we
will have to return to near the original
depth. In blowing this field, we are
turning under all that grew on it last
year, clover principally, with many rag
weeds. Both crops we're clipped twice
and allowed to lie on the land. On &C.
count Of this general covering Of the soil
with clover and weeds, | find it difficult
to get the soil in prime condition to
pillow.
Part already plowed was damper than
like under some Of the heavier punches
of clover. But l am satisfied that the
heavy freezes will make this right. l
aim to have our land where seeded to
wheat and clover as level and smooth
as possible. l find this an advantage
when we come to pillow the land it is
point towards getting a smooth, even
job done. We use q beam wheel and
jointer on the pillow. When the surface
is uneven the bottom of the furrow cor
responds with the uneven surface over
which the wheel passes. This growth
of clover that we throw to the bottom of
the furrow with the jointer when the
land is winter plowed has plenty of time
to settle and begin to decay before spring
work commences.
II we should have delayed blowing
this field till just before planting time,
this clover would probably be detri-
ment to the corn crop, because it would
keep the soil too open. Especially
would this be SO if the season proves to
be a dry one. What we have already
turned under l think will be an advan-
tage, whether the season is wet or dry
When we again start the pillow we will
have to return to the original depth of
blowing the land The clover as sub
get greater depth Of cultivated soil
Many farmers that have had much
faith in blowing just previous to time to
prepare for corn planting, have bad their
faith much weakened by the results OBJ
tanned after drouthy summers, and now
have feeling that they should adopt
some plan that will conserve moisture to
a greater extent. As means to this
end, winter and early spring blowing
will come in for q trial.
In the field in which we are blowing
we will have December and January
blowing to compare with that of March,
and possibly on account of bad weather
the field may be finished in April. I
want at least to have our blowing all
done early, that the land may have time
to settle thoroughly before time to pre-
pare the seed-bed. Then l can make
the seed-bed deep or shallow as I wish,
and know that it rests on solid soil.
If the land is not plowed till just pre-
vious to the preparation for planting.
the seed-bed must be made as deep as
the land is plowed, or else there will be
too much air space between the seed
bed and the solid soil. This will cut off
the soil moisture from below, which will
be sersous detriment TO the crop in
Cry weather. In well-drained clay soil
on which clover is grown, there naed
be no fear that winter blowing will give
surface too solid to get in order with
out replowing. The improved tools that
we now have, disc and spring tooth har.
rows, will loosen very compact Soils
This winter-plowed land when once
loosened will hardly return to its com
pact condition, but will become more and
more friable with each cultivation, pro-
vided it is not worked too wet.
like this winter and early blowing
because it can be done without wearing
out the teams, and allow them to enter
on the spring and summer work without
being in rundown and jaded condition.
Flowing is the heaviest part of the crop
work if it can be done during the COM
paratively idle time Of winter and early
spring, the farmer can enter on the crop
ping season feeling that he has his work
we'll advanced. and everything we'll in
hand. There is deal of satisfaction in
this to the man who has had the oppo-
site experience of blowing hard and
cloddy land when he should be planting
corn / have had experience in this
direction, but have been working for
years to get our land in condition for
winter blowing and thus escape tue
thraldom that falls to man with be-
lated spring blowing. The drainage and
clover accomplisbes this for us.-John
NJ. Jamison in Country Gentleman.