Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-10-23

in the same direction and disked thor
oughly or the smoothing harrow re-
peatedly used.
When Should This Flowing Be Done
Always plow in the fall before the
winter rains set in; the earlier after
the first of October the better. AL
ways use a cover crop Of oats, barley,
wheat, or rye, If possible. Every OBJ
servant farmer has noted that seeds
germinate more quickly and that plants
grow more rapidly on fall breaking
than on spring breaking. Fall plowing
renders more plant food ready for use,
while the preparation Of the land In
the fall saves work in the spring, when
everything on the farm is crowding. A
cover crop is a net gain. 1t keeps the
soil from washing, it utilizes the plant
food that otherwise might escape into
the air, and it adds humus. The soil
is improved by the crop and winter
grazing is provided. In plowed land
the loss of plant food is less than In
unplowed land; more plant food may
be produced and more can be stored.
In case a cover crop is used the loss
of plant food is slight.
An objection is sometimes urged that
fall-plowed soil becomes saturated with
water during the winter and remains
wetter and colder later in the spring
than land left unbroken in the fall.
This is true only upon land not suf-
fciently drained and where the break
ing is shallow Water passes through
deep breaking readily, and with rea-
sonable drainage it Is ready for plant
ing earlier than lands broken in the
spring.
When land is nearly level and drain
| broken, but left in ridges or narrow
lands about or 6 feet wide, suitable
for planting, with dead furrow be-
tween. This provides winter drainage
and keeps the pulverized soil out of the
water, which is important even If un-
| broken.
Deepening the Soil.
The advice to go down gradually Is
given solely because the inexperienced
farmer may try to plow too deeply the
first time and bring to the surface too
much Of the subsoil. The best plan Is
to double plow; that Is, to follow the
breaking plow in the same furrow with
a narrower plow or scooter with
sides removed) and go down as deeply
as desired. Generally the disk plow
may be sent down 8 or 10 inches with
impunity If the plowing is done in
the fall, and especially If the land is
plowed twice or more.
There is no question that breaking
and pulverizing to a depth Of to 10
or IL inches is economical. The cost of
| breaking 10 inches deep when done with
disk plow should not be more than
| so cents an acre in excess of breaking
6 inches deep. Whether a plant has
plenty of food all the time or only part
Of the time makes the difference be-
tween a good crop and poor crop.
ie II Advisable to Plow Deeper than 8,
10 or IL Inches?
The depth Of blowing must be deter
mined by the farmer himself He knows
the conditions and is the best judge of
the cost. In many sections, if done in
| the fall 1t undoubtedly pays to subsoil
| Is or 20 inches. This has been proved
| by some Of the best farmers and ex-
perimenters in the world. Some sub
soils in humid climates have been made
sc close and compact by the abundant
rainfall that air does not penetrate
them to aid in preparing plant food.
Such fields, therefore, may not show
any benefits of subsoiling until after
two or more years.
1t rarely pays to subsoil land in the
spring, and it is never advisable to use
the subsoil plow when the subsoil is
fully saturated with water, even though
the surface be fairly dry. Under such
conditions of plowing the clay subsoil
is pressed and packed, when the object
is to pulverize it and allow the air to
act upon it.
Experience Agrees With Theory.
No principle in agriculture has been
more thoroughly demonstrated than the
value of a deep, thoroughly pulverized
seed bed.
The Romans plowed on an average 9
inches deep-always three times for a
crop, and in stiff lands nine times.
They did not call inches blowing; ;
it was only "scarifying."
The Flemish farmers were the first
to follow the better lines of agriculture
after the Dark Ages. They devoted
their efforts to three main points: O
The frequent and deep pulverization Of
the soil, (2) the accumulation Of ma
nure and (3) the destruction of weeds.
A deeper and more thoroughly pull
verized seed bed was the foundation
upon which England built an improved
agriculture, and this principle has been
generally accepted there for more tnan
one hundred and sixty years, until the
ly five-fold.
A late letter from Hon. William
Saunders, director of the Central ex-
perimental farm, Ottawa, Canada,
states that farmers usually plow shai-
lowly Immediately after harvest (Au-
gusD ito preserve moisture and de-
stroy weeds. In October they
commonly plow s inches deep. Any
plowing done in the spring months is
usually shallow, not more than 6 inches
deep" Eight inches Of breaking in Oc-
tober in Canada, where frosts penetrate
8 or feet deep, is better for moisture
storage than plowing to a depth of Is
inches in the southern states.
The writer has visited a number Of
southern agricultural colleges this year.
In every case the directors of their
experiment stations favored a deep and
thoroughly prepared seed bed.
The Georgia experiment station bull
letins repeatedly urge a deep, mellow,
and rich seed bed for corn, and they
insist that if the soil is not naturally
such it should be made so by deep TIL