1S38] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



667 



ed devoid of all interest, that the house which I 

 now occupy, which is a very substantial buildin;a: 

 of ran<>;e limestone, was surrounded by a slouc 

 wall antl piquet, and converted into a fort for the 

 protect ion of the eaiiy settlers n-jainst the incur- 

 sions of the Indian.-?, anterior, and inunediately 

 subsequent to the defeat of Braddock, and the 

 antiquary may now amuse himself by f )llo\vin(x 

 the pioiio'ii and picking up various aboriginal 

 relics. It was a part ol" this firm, which an hon- 

 ored predecessor who migrated li'om a sandy farm 

 )n Dluwiddie, some forty years since, became the 

 proprietor of From him I ind)ibe;l my predilec- 

 tion fur deep ploughing, and in this respect, at 

 least I have lollowed with filial fidelity in his foot- 

 steps. Writing anonymously, the allusion will 

 not be thouirht inapposite or indelicate, that he 

 was a praeiical fu'tner, and by his judicious man- 

 agement became euiinenlly successhil. 



Ours is a dry climate, and whether by the grad- 

 ual clearing of our Ibrest lands, we are ultimately 

 to encounter the fate predicted by Volney, God 

 only knows, and tinse will determine, not in our 

 generation it is lo be hoped. By deep ploughing, 

 the capacity of the soil (o retain moisture, is in- 

 creased. You enlarge the sphere of nourishment 

 to clover, and other vegetables whose roots pene- 

 trate deeper, and range wider. As their annual 

 decomposition contiiuies, a soil is formed where 

 there was no soil before.- In limestone or other 

 stoiiy lands, each successive deep ploughing de- 

 taches, and brings to tlie surface, stones, which in 

 the scorching droughts of summer, would act as 

 subterranean ovens, drying and burning up vege- 

 tables in their contact. These stones should be 

 removed and fences made. I have nearly two 

 miles of substantial stone fencing on my firm now, 

 which I design aimually to extend. 



Another decided advantage resulting from deep 

 ploughing is this. If the surface is sandy, it is 

 too scorching in summer for clover, the great fer- 

 tilizer of land. If it consists of mere vegetable 

 mould, it is too light for clover — nor will wheat, 

 flourish; for the latter requires a tenacious soil. 

 A clayey substratum is found in most lands, even 

 in sandy regions, and by frequent inversion, and 

 blending of the under and upper soil, you give 

 consistence to the whole; and adapt it belter both 

 to wheat and clover, or an}' other crop. Again, 

 the valley lands have no general tendency to wash; 

 but where they have, the evil is greatly dimiifish- 

 ed by ploughing deep. 



Many scout the idea, that the under clay by 

 mere exposure to the surface, changes its charac- 

 ter, and becomes richer; but I entertain this opin- 

 ion. I do not pretend to sufficient science to de- 

 cide whether it proceeds from the gases being 

 evolved from the decomposition of vegetable mat- 

 ter turned down, or from the aid of the atmos- 

 phere above. Sir Humphrey Davy, with the 

 lights of chemistry, might have solved the prob- 

 lem; but it is pertinent to adopt the language of 

 Hudibras — " no arixument like matter of fact is." 

 Certainly the yellow clay changes its color to an 

 ashy hue, and becomes more productive without 

 the aid of manure. 



Within my own experience, it is upon my mix- 

 ed and slate land, the most obvious benefit has 

 been derived from deep tillage. And it was in 

 reference to those lands, my system encountered 

 the strongest tide of popular prejudice. When 



these lands are first reclaimed from the forest, its 

 upper soil is kind but only three or four inches 

 deep; next is a layer of yellow slate, standing in 

 their vertical spicula, whicii are easily cut by a 

 sharp plough-share; l;elow this a brownish yellow 

 or red ciny. My aim has ever been to reach this 

 substratum, for it is a calcareous soil, as is evi- 

 denced by its effervescence with thelouch of muri- 

 alicorother acids. Forthis purpose, I uselargeMc- 

 Cormick, or, what I prefer, the three-horse Lou- 

 doun plough, drawn by three strong 

 Conestonfa horses ; for maugve the high autho- 

 rity of Mr. Madison, Sir John Sinclair, andothers, 

 mules, oxen, and blooded horses are generally 

 discarded in this country, even by low-landers 

 and their descendants, who have emigrated here, 

 and form so large a part of our popu a 'on. 

 Mules I have never used ; oxen are slow and 

 lazy, and make negroes slow and lazy — but are 

 still continued on the firm to perform the lazy 

 work of hauling wood, straw, &c. They will 

 not do for long drafts, or summer service. Blood- 

 ed horses may suit our fi-iend, William R. John- 

 son very well; but for service upon a stiff" valley 

 soil, they are unprofitable. Their fiery spirit or 

 fractious tempers, cause them to run off' with our 

 plonirhs, tear loose from wagons, break down 

 fences, and sometimes break their necks. But to 

 return : by means of this strong plough and these 

 horses, 1 endeavor to get ten inches, or a foot be- 

 low the surf ice; and if machinery could be invent- 

 ed and put into cheap and praeiical operation, 

 which would penetrate two feet, I would place it in 

 immediate requisition. By this deep ploughing, 

 this crust of soft slate is turned up. It yields to 

 the action of heat, moisture and winter frosts — 

 is decomposed and adds to the modicum of soil. 

 When by turning up, and mixing the calcareous 

 earth below, with this virijin, and slate soil, a com- 

 bination is firmed, which equals the pure iime- 

 sione in producinff any of the crops of the coun- 

 try, unless it be in llat spouly spots, which will re- 

 main unpropilious to wHeai, without much care 

 in manuring, ridging, and rotting. 



The usual objection to deep ploucrhing in an 

 inferior soil, is, that you turn up, in the lansuage 

 of A rator, a mere caput mortuum, and impoverish 

 the surface soil; but let us advert to due causes 

 which create this surface soil, and hence make 

 deductions unfivorable to the theory. It is not 

 formed merely by the decomposition of leaves, 

 roots, and other vegetable aid, but by imb bing 

 atmospheric manure. This is proven by familiar 

 examples. The clay thrown out of deep cellars 

 or graves, is found, v^ithout the application of ma- 

 nure or original vegetable aid, to be soon covered 

 with rich grass, or weeds. The atmosphere, 

 which teems with life and fecundating properties, 

 has impregnated this clay with this rich resource of 

 bountiiiil nature, and hence, if these deep masses 

 of clay were cultivatea after the lapse of two or 

 three years at most, they would be found extremely 

 fruitful. Now, 1 admit reluctantly, however, that 

 by very deep ploughing — turning up the subsoil, 

 and turning down the upper— you may. for one or 

 !wo years, paralyze the activity of the surface soil. 

 But farminir, when pursued as a system, should 

 look beyond the span of two years, to fuiure reim- 

 bursements. The advantages of deep ploughinff, 

 however, may be secured without the exposure to 

 their supposed counteracting evils. Smith's Scotch 



