DEEP PLOUGHING. 173 



from what it was when I was a boy. Then our fathers always 

 ploughed from four to six inches deep, and their crops of com 

 went from twenty to thirty bushels to the acre ; if they got forty 

 bushels they thought they had an enormous crop. We have 

 increased the depth of ploughing, from the time I commenced 

 to farm, from five and six up to nine and ten inches. I have 

 invariably perceived the best results where I have ploughed 

 deep. In dry weather it stands the drought better ; in wet 

 weather it stands the moisture better, for the water has a chance 

 to soak away ; and I always have the best crops. 



In regard to the kinds of ploughs we use, I have a plough 

 which has been introduced but a few years, and there are but 

 very few of them with us, manufactured by the Collins Manu- 

 facturing Company in Connecticut. It is a steel plough, with 

 which we can turn just as nice a furrow as we formerly did 

 with a cast iron plough six inches. We always plough our 

 tobacco lands two or tliree times — never less than twice, and 

 oftencr three times, in the spring. Our first ploughing is slight 

 — from five to six inches. The object of this is merely to get 

 the manure out as early in the spring as we can, and get it into 

 a state that will fit it to feed tlie plant as soon as possible after 

 it is set out. Then just before setting the plants, from the first 

 to the fifteenth of June, we plough it again, and plough it 

 deeper — eight or ten inches — depending upon the character of 

 the soil. 



Mr. Barrett. The Rev. Mr. Clark, of Waltham, wlio is 

 here to-day, has had some experience in deep ploughing ; we 

 should be glad to hear from him. 



Mr. Clark. I am very much obliged to my friend for giving 

 me an opportunity to say a few words, and I will say but a few 

 words in the presence of the " assembled wisdom of the Com- 

 monwealth " on the subject of agriculture. I have myself sup- 

 posed that this question of the depth of ploughing must be 

 settled by circumstances, and that it depends very much upon 

 two considerations : one of them is the quality of the soil to be 

 cultivated, and the other is the kind of crops we propose to 

 raise. I recollect that last year, at Salem, Mr. Benjamin T. 

 Ware, of Marblehead, a very intelligent cultivator of the soil in 

 the line of market gardening, said tlio only use he found for a 

 subsoil plough was in loosening up his carrots, so that he could 



