16 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



has doubled the producing capacity of his farm; that is far 

 better for him than its original value at interest. The soil is 

 the farmer's bank. lie there deposits his income, and it will 

 never dishonor his draft. Farmers are too anxious, like all the 

 rest of the world, to make money ; let them make soils, which 

 are better than money. This will take to itself wings and fly 

 away, but the earth abideth forever. Money invested in fertil- 

 izers is the best investment for farmers. 



But there are methods of culture which enrich the land, as 

 well as fertilizers ; and two of the best with which I am 

 acquainted, are deep and frequent tilth or stirring of the soil. 

 Our culture of the soil is not deep enough. We ski in the sur- 

 face not so deeply as our wives skim their milk, and at the depth 

 of from six to ten inches the soil or earth is as hard as Pharaoh's 

 sward. This is all wrong. The soil should be made light, at 

 least eighteen inches deep. The salts which have filtered 

 through the first six or ten inches, all lie dormant below. This 

 is one reason for deep culture ; and if there were no other, a 

 sufficient one. But there is another, it is the preservation of 

 moisture, and defence against drought. I have tried both in 

 my garden, and of course know whereof I affirm ! I have seen 

 them tried on a larger scale by subsoil ploughing, and the crop 

 increased one-quarter, in some places doubled the first year. 

 Try it, if you doubt it. Dig the soil two feet or twenty inches 

 deep in half your garden, and the remainder only eight or ten 

 inches. When the dry weather comes on, see how parched the 

 soil will be, and how withered the vegetables, on the shallow 

 culture, and how moist the soil, and fresh and luxuriant the 

 growth, on the deep culture. Frequent stirring of the soil is 

 also enriching. I have seen this tried with marvellous success. 

 An old field, which had been scratched over and sown to rye, 

 year after year, till it would not produce so much as penny 

 royal and rattle boxes, was permitted to rest one year, because 

 it would not pay to plough it. It was then fallowed and twice 

 ploughed, in the last of August and first of September, and 

 sowed to winter rye. The crop was good. 



But the experiment to which I would especially call your 

 attention, was on an acre of the same sixteen acre field. This 

 acre was prepared for wheat. It was ploughed six or seven 

 times, in the forenoon chiefly, when the heavy dews were on, 



