1859. 



NEAV ENGLAND FARMER. 



353 



For ihe New England Farmer, 

 THE LITTLE SUBBOILEB. 

 BY JUDGE FRENCH. 



When we plant early, and heavy rains follow, 

 the earth packs down so hard between our rows 

 of corn, potatoes and roots, that we frequently 

 repent of our haste in putting in the seed, and de- 

 clare that we will never be guilty of such folly 

 again. 



My friend. Professor Hoyt, now Chancellor of 

 Washington University, at St. Louis, once em- 

 ployed a man to fork up the earth between his 

 potato hills. His land was sandy, and had set like 

 the sea beach, as hard as a very soft grindstone. 

 The professor said he knew the potatoes could not 

 breathe in so tight a place as that. Often we see 

 gardeners loosen the earth round their plants 

 with a spade or trowel, after a hard storm, and 

 every man of common sense knows that in gen- 

 eral, the more freely plants are supplied with 

 air, heat and moisture in the natural soil, the 

 better they thrive. 



Now we have an implement (figured above) 

 that supplies the want thus indicated, in the 

 shape of a small subsoil plow drawn by a single 

 horse or mule. The use of a subsoil plow is to 

 break up and loosen the subsoil, without bringing 

 it to the surface. I have used the little subsoiler 

 with great satisfaction ; the present season my 

 corn was planted May 2oth, on land drained with 

 tiles, part of it heavy clay; it came up well, al- 

 though the season was wet. As soon as the rows 

 could be well traced, on the i:3th June, the little 

 subsoiler was put through twice in a row, about 

 ten inches deep, which raised up the soil as light 

 as if just plowed. Then came the rain and as 

 every body knows, it has kept raining ever since, 



but down goes the water to the depth of this cut, 

 instanter, and the drains are doing their best be- 

 low, and the water is out of sight, though the 

 three-inch drains often run full. 



On the 19th we finished hoeing it, and my 

 man James, and I, think we saved the cost of the 

 little plow on this one and one-third acres of 

 corn. On our mangolds, three-fourths of an 

 acre, we have also used it, running between the 

 drills as soon as the rows are visible, and we are 

 ready to recommend it without hesitation for 

 general use in corn, potatoes, mangolds, turnips, 

 carrots, and the like. 



Prof. Mapes, I think, is entitled to the credit 

 of introducing the use of the subsoiler in this 

 way, and the pattern of the best subsoil plows in 

 use was furnished by him, and he calls it a soil- 

 lifter. Send to Nourse, Mason & Co. for sub- 

 soil plow No. 0. It is of steel, and well made, 

 and the price $8. After the little subsoiler has 

 gone through, use the best kind of cultivator. 

 Reader, do you know what is the best kind ? 



James says that "at home," that is, in Ireland, 

 I they use a small plow with the mould-board re- 

 moved, running between the potato drills, to 

 loosen the soil before turning the earth up to the 

 potatoes with the common plow, and he joyfully 

 recognizes in the use of this little implement the 

 process there so familiar. 



Exeter, N. H., June 22, 1859. 



Pratt's Patent Self- Ventilating Cover- 

 ed Milk-Pan. — One of these pans was left with 

 us a week or two since, and was at once trans- 

 ferred to the dominions of the women, where it 

 was put to a practical test, and pronounced a 

 good article, but not one adapted to the dairy- 

 woman's use. It is not broad enough as milk 



