The Southern farm gazette., 1908-08-01
The Truth About Subsoing, Deep Flowing and Scrubs

Messrs. Editors: The article by Professor We'll
born published in Southern Farm Gazette was
full OF discouragng and disquieting news.
think your reply in regard to scrubs covered
the ground. But how about deep plowing and
sub-soiling? Is the one-horse farmer who merely
scratches the soil right after all? Then IL is not
true that under this farm lies another? Here
we are advised by Professor Massey and many
other agricultural men to go into the expensive
operations OF sub-soiling or deep powing and
now comes a man who says such work does not
pay. It seems 10 me the powers that be" had bet
ter get together and give the same kind OF ad
vice: no one has right to advise expensive farm
procedures unless II is certain tho results will
pay. II can do my farming just we'll with less
horsepower want to know the fact at once,
NJ. 4. c.
Bedford Co. Va.
The farmer the red Piedmont hills may
rest assured that he will make no blunder by sub
soiling his land deeply There plenty Of
lands all over the country which IL would be
a waste OF time and labor TO sub-aoil. nat heavy
lands that need drainage more than anything
else and deep sands will not be helped BY sub
sosling. But that sub soling Is n blnnder on the
rolling upands OF tho South know is not true.
This is no theory with me. but tho result of prac-
ucal work with big plows and sub-sotcra.
While on level lands deep subaoiling may not
show any important improvement, In III" crops.
their improvement will he manifest tho steep
red hills. because there IN place formed for IN"
rains TO settle into instead ot running OF down
tho hills and carrying tho soil with them II the
rod hills OF the South had been keep, deeply brok.
and thoroughly farmca instead of being
scratched over the hdeous gulllea would Is.
rare sight and gala would he unknown Tho man
who tells tho farmers that sui-sniiinr and deep
plosstng arr always hlundrrs to.r@ not know what
hc II talking about and IL merely panicrtns 1"
the pre- judicc~ of the farmrrs.
have worked the a,eepca, @. old rcd hliia aud
have cured old gulii"a Will" never making ter.
race. simply by maxim. "a deep bed for tho water
10 sink into and making burrows around the
hill TO catch head OF wafer aho~ to-day
old gullies aodtcd with grass out Of which kept
the water by making deep. loosn bed for II
either aide Of the gully. and such steep old
hills where the grass had out to nothing hu.
poverty grass. so; clover and timothy that
The wonder of thc netghborhood. and tour-tnch
plowing would have done anything of tho Hor; om
that land.
! was last winter among farmers who hnbitual-
ly pow eight inches deep. They hay. gotten
there from long experience their noii. and
while In many lands there Is need for deep
powing this fac, does contradict III. fact that
In most rolling lands of clay ar l"amy nature
deep powing and often sub-s"iling. ~ n necessity.
Talk 10 farmer III" splendid landa OF HcrkH
Lancaster. and York Counties In Pennsylvania
about plowing three and half inches deep aud
he will quickly tell YOU that his crops could no;
be well grown as they are by any such ploeing.
In the hiily lands OF Central North Carolina.
about Raleigh. for instance. the surface mnii In
sandy and full OF quartz PARTICLES. and right un-
der IL III" clay In nH tough as ever formed any
where. and clay that has greater stores of plant