116 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



traction, and under the influence of evaporation, 

 producing cold and injuring the plants.] 



Mr. Hubbard illustrated his point in this man- 

 ner. Take a sponge and dip one end in a dish of 

 water — by the power of capillary attraction the 

 water will soon rise above the water in the dish 

 and fill the sponge. The sun rises and shines up- 

 on the sponge and the top becomes dry by evapora- 

 tion, still, by the power of this principle a portion 

 of the sponge is kept damp. When the sun goes 

 down the water comes up and wets the whole 

 sponge again. So if the land is not broken below, 

 six inches there will be no water there, and in 

 consequence, in a few days the plants will cry out 

 for water ; but if the subsoil is broken up there 

 will be a reservoir there which will last these 

 plants many days. Mr. Hubbard approved of 

 trenching for fruit trees, and thought it might be 

 used to great advantage. He was also in favor of 

 frequent plowing — and mentioned the experience 

 of the President of the Hampshire County Agri- 

 cultural Society, who by simply plowing and re- 

 plowing and sowing a few seeds of clover, had 

 brought land very much reduced into good bearing 

 condition. Land that cost him $10 an acre, pre- 

 pared, in this way, he could rent more readily than 

 good meadow land worth $150 an acre. 



In conclusion , Mr. Hubbard alluded to the con- 

 stituents of plants, 90-100ths of which he said were 

 organic, and 10-lOOths inorganic. The inorganic- 

 are all volatile, and are flying about in the atino 

 sphere in the shape of gases. By plowing, these 

 elements are absorbed And put in a condition to 

 unite with the plant and give it substance, and at 

 the same time the land is restored to a condition 

 of health, and made capable of supporting vegeta- 

 ble life. 



Mr. Walker suggested as another reason in fa- 

 vor of subsoiling, the theory of Professor Mapes 

 that by stirring the soil the circulation of the air 

 through the soil is increased. All the vapor in 

 the atmosphere is condensed as it passes through 

 the soil,, and as it becomes dry comes out of the 

 ground, and other a%- goes in. 



Mr. Brooks, in allusion to Mr. Hubbard's re- 

 marks respecting the improvement of poor land by 

 plowing, thought that in the .case mentioned quite 

 as much benefit resulted from turning in the clo- 

 ver as from the plowing. He had manured his 

 land by plowing in clover crop,-?. In regard to 

 manuring the land as suggested by Mr. Walker, 

 he did not thiiak lu3 theory was based upon good 

 philosophy. It was not good philosophy to say 

 thattfhe same ai. would descend ).<to the earth 

 and displace the .cold a}>*. It would be found a 

 fact that where wata- stands on a tu&adow, at two 

 feet feeiow the surface, the, water would be colde: 

 than the water on the top. 



Mr. Wilder, of Lurches t<?x, agreed in all that 

 had 1 <"•'.- said in favor of p. complete pulveriza 



tion of the earth by subsoiling and trenching. But 

 whether it was best to trench at an expense of 

 $100 an acre must be determined by the location 

 of the land. He was in favor of frequent plow- 

 ing, and also spoke warmly in favor of the Michi- 

 gan plow. It turns up those substances which 

 become the food for plants. An experiment made 

 with this plow resulted in getting from an acre of 

 land which previously bore but 15 bushels of grain, 

 a crop of 55 bushels. 



Mr. Howard, editor of the Boston Cultivator, 

 was called upon to give some statements in regard 

 to an examination of the Michigan plow, which 

 was made at Albany some year or two since. 

 He said the committee did not recommend the 

 plow for general use, but for certain special uses — 

 first, for a hard, stiff soil, where the substances 

 comprising the nutriment for plants were found at 

 a great depth : the other was, as a substitute for 

 trenching or plowing where vegetable fertility was 

 contained to an unknown depth, and which, when 

 brought up, will produce as good a crop as the 

 top soil itself. Subsequent experience had been 

 in accordance with the views taken by the com- 

 mittee at that time. 



In regard to the subject which had been dis- 

 cussed during the evening, it was quite obvious 

 that gentlemen viewed it from different points, and 

 therefore came to different conclusions. The rules 

 for plowing would have to be varied according to 

 the composition and texture of the soil to be 

 worked. In regard to subsoiling, it had been 

 thought a mystery how it could prove a protection 

 against both rain and drought. It is evident that 

 plants suffer most from drought in dry, tenacious 

 soils, and if by drainage, or deep plowing, the 

 soil can be kept open, its absorbent powers are 

 greater, and it attracts more moisture from the 

 atmosphere or more from below, as the case may 

 require. 



The subject for the next meeting was announced 

 as — Agricultural Education and the Improvement of 

 Agriculture. 



(gpWe learn from the Agricultural Journal, 

 published at Montreal, that the British govern- 

 ment has granted $20,000 for the establishment 

 of a Model School and Farm near Limerick, Ire- 

 land, and that similar schools and Model Farms 

 are being established in every county in Ireland, 

 and are reported to be doing a vast amount of ben- 

 efit to the country. 



Let us profit by these timely hints, and start 

 one at least and sec how it works. 



[SP* Will the Editor of the Agricultural Journal, 

 Montreal, be kind enough to send us whatever 

 publications have been made in relation to the 

 Model Farm at La Tortue; but particularly the 

 plan of Mr. Ossaye for the management of the 

 farm. 



