McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1922-10-06
Winter Cover Crops And
Subsoilina

Now is the time for seeding
winter cover crops of rye, Grim
son clover, vetch, etc, and !
hope the farmers of Tennessee
realize the Importance and val
ue of the winter cover crop. 1t
will prevent land from washing
if seeded in time to get we'll es-
tablished before cold weather.
1t will furnish winter pasture
when the soil is dry enough to
pay for cost of seed and prepar-
alton of the seed bed.
If stock is removed before the
spring growth starts it will ma
terially increase the humus in
the soil. if turned under, and, if
crimson clover is seeded, add
from sixty to seventy-fve pounds
of nitrogen to the acre. Land
should not be left bare during
the winter, and there is no ex-
cuse for doing so when 50 much
can be done to increase its pro-
ductivity, and that will be pro-
fitable.
The winter cover crop is not
an experiment. It's value has
repeatedly been demonstrated. SO
that farmers in every community
should know. If we neglect to
do these things, the responsibility
is on our own shoulders.
Now is also the best time of
the year for subsoiling, to get
the best results. | have hereto
fore discussed the value and i'm
portance of subsoiling, when and
how it should be done, but it is a
subject of great Importance, and
will bear repetition. Many are
now subsoiling who did not prac-
tice it a few years ago. Still
there are thousands who are try
ing to make living by scratch
ing a few inches of the surface
soil, with a hard pan just be-
meath that is impervious to water
and which roots of plants cannot
penetrate, and the plant food in
it is dormant.
Shallow preparation of land
causes it to wash easily and give
up its scant supply of humus
more readily. / have bought
what was called worn-out farms
and in two years had them pro-
ducing good crops. They had
been broken shallow and the sur
plus water, which the soil could
not absorb, carried away the veg
etable matter, leaving the sur
face soil hard to pulverize and
and easy to bake. When | got
hold of such a place at this sea-
son of the year would hitch one
team to turning plow and set
the plow so it would run as deep
as the ground had been broken.
With another team to a subsoil-
ing plow | would follow in the
furrow Of the turning plow. hav-
ing the subsoil plow set just deep
enough to get under the hard
crust and break it up. This is
better than to set the subsoiling
plow too deep. l try to have q
green crop to turn under. This
puts the vegetable matter in the
broken up subsoil, the winter
rains and frost reach it and dis.
integrate it and release the dor.
mant plant food.
In the spring l want to mix
and pulverize the soil as deep as
subsoiled. I increase the vege.
table matter by growing a winter
cover crop of rye. vetch or clover
in combination; the legume stores
nitrogen in the soil. When pos.
sible applied two tons of grounc
limestone per acre.
The important feature ! want t.
emphasize is that now, while the
subsoil is not wet is the best
time to do subsoiling. The sub
soils should have the rains anc
frost of winter to disintegrate it
Subsoil should never be thrown
to the surface when subsoiling
Land that is subsoiled at tn,
right time and in the right way
will double the yield of crop; il
rightly cultivated it will no
wash. 1t will retain more mois
ture and stand drouths wher.
land not subsoiled would fire.
Subsoiling can be done by tn,