PLOUGHING. 133 



PLYMOUTH. 



Leonard HilVs Statement. 



Suhsoiling. — I enter my claim for a premium on an acre of 

 Indian corn, and for subsoiling half of the same. The land 

 is a deep clayey soil, with a hard pan beneath, mixed with 

 gravel. It was mowed in 1851, and produced about three- 

 quarters of a ton of English hay to the acre. In 1852 it was 

 ploughed, and planted to Indian corn, and a good crop of about 

 forty bushels to the acre was realized. In May, 1853, I carted 

 on and spread ten cords over the whole acre, (five cords on 

 each half acre,) of good barn and hog manure from Mr. Ho- 

 bart's barn cellar, where he had fed twenty head of cattle last 

 winter, and also five or six hogs. This manure was all shovel- 

 led over in April, four weeks previous to being spread on the 

 field. On the 14th of May ploughed one-half, with a heavy 

 plough, seven inches deep, following with a subsoil plough, 

 seven inches deeper. The other part I ploughed with a com- 

 mon plough, eight inches deep; harrowed it once, then fur- 

 rowed it, about three feet apart ; I then put into the furrows 

 two cords of compost, mostly soil ; one cord on each half acre. 

 I put three kernels in a hill, two feet apart, of the eight-rowed 

 white corn, a kind I have raised for many years, (sometimes 

 called smutty white.) The planting was done from 23d to 25th 

 of May. On the 10th of June, ploughed and hoed both pieces, 

 that subsoiled and that not subsoiled. On the 15th, hoed both 

 pieces without ploughing; 22d, ploughed one furrow in a row, 

 and hoed the two half acres; 28th, hoed and killed weeds on 

 both pieces which had been manured and cultivated alike. 



I would here remark with regard to the subsoiling, that when 

 the subsoil is so extremely hard that the moisture cannot pene- 

 trate so easily as in many kinds of land, it is evident that sub- 

 soiling is beneficial ; and in both extremes of wet and dry, I 

 think it of use, and that it ought to be done in such soils. 



In September, (about the middle,) I cut the top stalks on both 

 parts. October 15th, the supervisor harvested and weighed 

 two rods, selected from diflFerent parts of the field, which 



