381 



ed thirty years ago with one at the present day, the improve- 

 ment seems most extraordinary. 



The great aim of the ploughman now is not only completely 

 to invert the sward, but so completely to cover in the vegetable 

 matter upon the surface that it shall be kept under for the en- 

 riching of the soil instead of being exhaled by the sun and air. 

 The importance of this vegetable matter in its decay to the suc- 

 ceeding crop is not a recent discovery. It is mentioned by early 

 cultivators; and Lorain, of Pennsylvania, one of the most sen- 

 sible and practical writers upon improved husbandry we have 

 ever had, particularly insists upon it. But E. Phinney, of Lex- 

 ington, in this county, is the first person, within my knowledge, 

 who undertook to demonstrate its advantages by showing the 

 actual amount of vegetable matter ordinarily contained in the 

 surface of an acre of land in grass. By taking a cubic foot 

 of greensward in a mowing field, and carefully separating 

 by hand and weighing all the vegetable matter which it con- 

 tainedj^he ascertained that it would equal at least thirteen tons 

 to the acre. This was a remarkable result, and evinced the 

 importance of a mode of ploughing by which this herbage 

 should be completely covered. This is done by turning the 

 furrow slices perfectly llat so as to drop one within the other. 

 Where the field is to be laid immediately down to grass this 

 method is good ; but where it is to be cultivated in corn or po- 

 tatoes, it seems to me preferable to turn the furrows at such an 

 angle that they shall lap one upon the other. When this is 

 done by a skilful and careful }>loughman, the vegetable matter 

 on the sward will be as completely covered in as if the sward 

 were laid perfectly flat ; and this advantage will follow, that 

 where the furrow is thus laid obliquely a larger portion of the 

 surface is exposed to the enriching influences of the sun and 

 air, and when the harrow passes over it, it is reduced to a finer 

 tilth. 



It is considered desirable in these cases not to disturb the 

 vegetable matter turned under during the rotation ; and some 

 farmers are in the practice of ploughing once only for theso 



