Year: 1873




ING,


That the ploughing of heavy soils in
the fall is attended with excellent
results is generally admitted. That
any benefit accrues to soil of lighter
texture, is questioned by many agri-
culturists, with whom we do not
altogether agree. AL admit that the
tenacious character of clay soil is
reduced less compact by the operation
of frost the Jumps fall apart, and are
disintegrated by the mechanical effect
of the expansion in the act of freezing
OF the water held between the particles.
The field, which at the commencement.
OF winter exhibited only surface of
shapeless clogs, in the spring is seen.
to have been brought into condition.
of mellowness which no amount Of
pIoughing or narrowing could have
effected But is this the full effect of
the forces of nature, which operate in
small things as perfectly as in greater ?
The power which has forced asunder
the clods. and reduced them to frag-
ments, has also had an effect upon
those fragments themselves, and has
reduced them to particles so small that
the aolubility of the soil has been
increased. Thus another effect besides
mechanical one has been produced |;
or rather the operation of mechanical
| force has brought about condluionB
under which chemical action can more
readily take place. Now, can we
believe that this result only occurs in
the case of clay soils? Ii this should
be so, then, as ths=e is variety at
such soils the effect mnst be propor-
toned to the nature of the SOIL If .
clay soil is benefited is not also clay
loam? And if e clay loan why not a
sandy? If the PARTICLES of clay
| soil are rendered more soluble by this
exposure to the frosts of winter, and
those PARTICLES are mainly alumina and
silica, how can another soil altogether
escape similar effects, when only the
proportion in which these constituents
are combined are changed. But we
are told that clay soils are absorbent,
while more silicious soils are
more or less leachy. and part with th6r
fertile properties by the percolation Of
water through them. Then, IF this
were true, light or sandy soil would in
course of time be washed free from all
fertilizing properties. But this is not
no. the case with these soils. They
can be improved By tbe addition of
manure until their characters are
changed the added color and other
quantities are not washed away. Ii
this idea IF leachiness, then, is un>
founded, no harm, but only benefit, can
result from ploughing such soils in the
fall. They will experience as much
improvement in one sense as heav Ter
clay soil. The reduction of hard
Jumps is not necessary. for these soils
are naturally mellow, but an increased
solubilhy viii have been gained. Bat
one other benefit must not be forgo ten
here, which is that deeper ploughing is
nermissible in the fall, and six months
exposure to the sudden changes from
frost to thaw will bring the hitherto
unused soil into condition for assisting
to bear crops We do not advise the
ploughing of sod at this season. at least
for corn crop. This should be
postponed until the last possible day
in the spring consistent with having
the ground prepared in time. But
for roots or oats, or other spring crops
than corn, we would plough now and
manure through the winter, whe1, a
mellow and rich soil some inches in
depth will be ready to be stirred again
in the spring and this we would do
irrespective of the quality of the soil,
whether it be clay are light loam
Potatoes planted in gravelly loan
thus prepared have with us given
double the yield oEthose in ground not
so treated. Oats, too, have been bene-
fted greatly, but the result with corn
was unfavorable, mainly, We believe,
on account of the greater development
of weeds. which prevented the crop