The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-01-10
lIcu Piedmont Cay Soils May Bios
SON as The kaSe.
pRGr. NEWMAN GIVES HIS VIEWS
In Response 10 an Inquiry He Writes
intercs ing y Concerning the value
Of Subsoii.ng.
Cor, Charleston News and Courier.


ing 4 Subsoil plough going down intc
the hard-pan a few days ago it oc-
cured TO your correspondent that prot.
Newman could give us some valuable
information as to subsoiling and the
permanent Improvement OF lands. lie
was asked a few leading questions,
which he kindly answered.
So we'll suited is the information
given that your correspondent put L
in the shape OF Christmas gift to the
farmers OF the State with the compA-
ments of Prof Newman. Every susgeS-
ton contained in the communication
is most valuable to the farmers who
have clay lands.
The correspondent can bear testi-
mony to the fact that a pair OF mules,
weighing 2,000 pounds, will break any
of the Piedmont or red clay lands slX
to ten inches deep according to the
depth OF the top soil. If there is moth
ing to turn under there IS no need OF
one plough following another. One
team, one hand and one plough will dc
the work in a most satisfactory way.
COL. NEWMAN'S LETTER.
But here is the Professors letter:
Clerson College.
Mr.. Charles Pet y, Spirtanburg, S. c.
Dear Sir: In response to your in
Quiries Of the 18th inst, l have oeen
laboring for thirty years for the pro-
motion of better methods in our South
ern agriculture and through this the
increase OF intelligence and prosperity
OF our farmers. Your first question as
to the necessity Of deepening and more
thoroughly pulverizing the soil before
planting strikes at the root OF the
matter. The most important thing for
the farmer to do is to secure good tex
ture through the agency of thorough
tillage. Without this much labor In the
planting, fertilizing and cultivating
the crop is done in vain. There is an
old saying, which is especially apple
able to farming, viz: "One bad JOB
makes another" If good texture IS
not secured before planting we are apt
to have poor stands OF weakly plants
poor cultivation and small crops.
If the soil is broken only few inch
e. in depth, and even this much not
pulverized, there can be no storage Oh
moisture against a summer drought,
but serious r!s, of surface wash!ng
upon rolling lands, since the comp ct
subsoil or hardpan res;sts the down
ward penetration Of the summer snow
ers, the small amount Of broken SOIL
soon becomes saturated, and the water
which should sink into the subsoi!
flows of on the surface. This Is the
season for deep ploughing and sub
soiling, while Jack Frost, the best pull
ysrizer, Is rendering efficient aid.
Walk over the fields now and observe
the mellow condition Of the surfafce,
and notice that the clods which were
left through poor tillage last spring
crumble under the foot. The surte@>
being pulyerized by the frost presents
little resistance to the plough, and
hence the same team can pull the
plough one or two inches deeper than
st will be able to do after the baking
rains and drying winds OF March.
!, One or two inches Of the subsoil may
be turned up now with advantage,
since the frcst will pulverize 1t and
mingle it with the soil. II this is
done in spring the portion OF the sub
soil turned up will bake into clods and
remain so during the summer.
Every tiller OF the soil should learn
as his first and most important lesson
the value Of a deep soil, thoroughly
pulyeriged, to admit free penstra-
tion Of the air and circulation OF mos
ture rendering the penetration and
multiplication Of the absorbing root
surfaces possible. This simplifies and
facilitates all subsequent operation IN
producing the crop. There is another
old saying which is applicable here.
Wig: Thorough preparation is half
cultivation"
Thorough preparation and shallow
cultivation should be our motto.
WHAT FERTILIZER IS NEEDED.
As to your question about the am
cunt OF phosphoric acid and potash is
the first ten or twenty inches OF our
Piedmont clays?" I have no source OF
accurate information. Prof. Bailey, in
1.-The Principles of Agriculture" says:
Roberts calculates from many an
alyses that in average agricultural
lands the surface eight inches Of soil
on each acre contains over 5000
pounds of nitrogen, nearly 1000
pounds Of phosphoric acid and over
1900 pounds OF potash" Much OF
these essential elements Of plant food
Is locked UP in insoluble compounds.
By thorough tillage, admitting the
oxygen of the air to which the fine
particles of soil are exposed, by allow
ing an abundant absorption OF mos.
ture to dissolve the mineral plant food
liberated by the chemical action OF the