TJie Subsoil as Manure 



439 



ameliorating and fertilizing influence of the 



atmosphere, and in too many instances, for 



the want of drainage, air is completely excluded 



by the presence of stagnant water." Mr 



Mechi will no doubt, in spite of the doubts 



expressed by the members of the club on 



that occasion, be glad to hear that m 



America his ideas have been taken up. In 



the Country Gentleman of October, " F. G." 



writes : — A correspondent of yours says, " I 



know by experiment and experience that 



there are subsoils (worthless, judging by the 



eye), that, used as top-dressing for grass 



lands, will give as large an increase of hay 



as a heavy dressing of farm-yard manure, 



phosphates of guano, or any other manure I 



have ever used." Now this same soil, 



brought up in ploughing and exposed to the 



elements, must, from necessity have the same 



effect, for the mere fact of applying it cannot 



alter the case ; the soil is there, acted upon 



in the same manner. This at least is true, 



that such soil, or some soil, brought up to 



the surface, is an advantage to the crop, and 



forms an excellent seed bed for clover and 



timothy, with heavy yields following. It is 



my experience. Some of the land on t?ie 



homestead which I worked for many years, 



is of this nature. One lot in particular had a 



striking effect. The land was ploughed up to 



the beam, some 5 or 6 inches deeper than 



usual, bringing up a deep bed of raw soil, of 



a powdery and various coloured nature. It 



was a hillside facing the south^ and composed 



<ii sand, gravel, and clay, the clay in a 



pulverized state. The land was not very 



good and had been considerably run, having 



never received any manure, grass and clover 



being depended upon for enrichment. 



The first year the crop was almost an en- 

 tire failure ; there was doubtless too much 

 of the raw material. The grain started, but 

 did not thrive. The next year was some- 

 what better, but not much ; the same depth 

 of ploughing continued. Clover and timothy 

 were sown (with the grain), and a fair catch 

 resulted. The clover did well, and the 

 timothy following (after the clover was run 

 out), was an improvement on former crops. 

 But the land Ijecame better, the grass thicker 



and heavier. Grain followed — same depth 

 of ploughing — also improved ; all this time 

 no manure used. There was a great depth 

 of mellow soil ; and this was thoroughly 

 heated, being directly exposed to the sun. 

 After this the land was stocked dowTi to 

 clover and timothy, and what seems a per- 

 manent sod is the result. Seldom is there 

 such a growth, close, dark and rank, a thick 

 mat of roots and grass ; and such is the case 

 now after many years of trial. A few years 

 since some manure was applied, and bene- 

 fited it somewhat. 



Now had this land been ploughed to the 

 same depth as usual, working only the old 

 soil over, there would have been a loss 

 almost yearly, as is the case with too much 

 land. Land treated in this way must have 

 manure. But the undersoil brought up 

 answered the purpose — that surely did it in 

 the case I have related. Doubtless the 

 strength of the land had somewhat worked 

 down, and with the original fertility of the 

 sub-soil, formed a rich bed for cropping. 

 But it took years to bring it to the true 

 state of efficiency. It acted as manure; 

 and is much more lasting. The mechanical 

 condition of the land had also something to 

 do in the case, being worked so as to be 

 deeply mellow, acting thus as drainage, and 

 for gathering a retaining moisture. With 

 more sand, or sand and gravel, the thing 

 doubtless would have been different. But 

 there was considerable clay, and this in a 

 fine, almost powdery state, still more reduced 

 by the action of the air. The same soil 

 carted on a meadow would have benefited 

 it beyond any doubt. 



That a large share of our land needs work- 

 ing up from below, is as clear to the \vriter 

 as any fact in agriculture. It is probably 

 best to do this gradually, bringing up an inch 

 or two of soil at a time ; but do it at all 

 events, if it has to be deepened at one plough- 

 ing. A fallow is a good means to treat soil 

 in this way. The difficulty is, we are dis- 

 couraged when we bring up considerable raw 

 soil at a time, and it proves for a year or two 

 to be no benefit, or even perhaps a hurt. 

 It will in the end, and that soon, pay, and 



