548 Deepening the Staple Soil. 



abundant crops, Subsoiling we have practised (with a variety 

 of results) for the past thirty years, before, innnediatebj oftei\ and 

 years subsequent to drainage, the result of which we may thus sum 

 up. First, always injurious before draining, with the single ex- 

 ception of the case where there is an impervious floor or pan 

 betwixt the soil and subsoil, the latter being more or less porous, 

 and giving some vent for the escape of the water. Secondly, we 

 have never benefited by subsoiling stiff clay unmixed with stones 

 or sandy veins, although we have decidedly received damage 

 by sulisoiling clay, but never from ploughing clay deep. We 

 found that on all subsoils where there are considerable quantities 

 of stone, large or small, subsoiling was followed by the best 

 results ; on sand it never has done good in any one case. We 

 have found that, where subsoiling is done before drains Lave had 

 time to get into operation, the land has been longer before the 

 beneficial effects of the drain have been brought into play. We 

 apprehend that the reason is that the breaking up and stirring of 

 the subsoil cause the already imperfectly formed pores to fill up 

 by the first heavy wet, making the whole mass settle down like 

 a plaster floor ; whereas a few years after drainage the pores get 

 oro;anised into re2;ular channels leading to the drains throug-h tlie 

 subsoil. We have found it always best not to subsoil for at 

 least two summers after draining ; when it is done, let it be for 

 the fallow or root crop, but not with the autumn ploughing ; in 

 spring, give a ci'oss ploughing the full depth, subsoiling as deep 

 under the plough as you plough in performing this operation. 

 There are few wlio do it well, as they allow the horses to walk 

 in the furrow upon the already loosened subsoil, making it a 

 more compact mass where the horses tread than it was before. 

 This we have for more than twenty years avoided, by arranging 

 the draught of the horses drawing the surface-plough so that 

 they all walk on the unploughed land. 



We give drawings of our arrangements for three, four, and five, 

 up to twelve horses, so that our readers may be able to get 

 these necessary articles made before commencing the operation. 



It will be observed that in all these arrangements the 

 chief objects in view are, first, that each horse should draw 

 his fair share ; secondly, that the horses shall go as close 

 together as is consistent with free action, so as to bring the 

 line of draught as directly in the traction line of the plough as 

 possible, thus reducing the necessity for setting the coulter-edge 

 off the land, in order to keep the plough in the proper path. We 

 have found the three and five horse arrangements well adapted 

 for this purpose, as they make the centre line of draught about 

 right for the line of plough-traction. For subsoiling the same 



