106 



Subsoil Plough. — Fruit Trees. 



Vol. VI. 



deeper, only 3 inches wide; then, to take the 

 turf that had been cast off" at the first open- 

 ing and turn it, sod downward, on the shoul- 

 ders of the drain, and fill the mould upon 

 them ; and these drains have stood in perfect 

 order for an age. Then again, on other mea- 

 dows it is the custom to sink a deep and nar- 

 row drain, and place in it the branches of 

 beech, osier, or other aquatic timber, cover- 

 ing them with straw, &c., and filling in the 

 earth, and these also stand and perform well. 

 But when stones of proper size can be 

 obtained, a preference is due to them over 

 every other material, for if the drains are 

 carried so as to have a slight declination only, 

 and carefully filled, they will run for any 

 length of time : where stones are not to be 

 had, however, tiles are used very extensive- 

 ly; and two pine boards nailed together and 

 placed in the bottom of the drain, so as to 

 span it, the aris edge upwards, has been found 

 a cheap and very excellent substitute for 

 them. But, upon the principle of the work- 

 ing of the subsoil plough, if land be cut into 

 wedge-shaped deep drains, and these be filled 

 again with the matter that has been thrown 

 out, after it has had time to dry, they will be 

 found to keep open and run, perhaps for any 

 length of time, even for an age. In any 

 view, therefore, draining in some form or 

 other ought to be practised very extensively 

 on land requiring the operation: it is the ne 

 plus ultra of good husbandry. Vir. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Subsoil Plough. 



Sir, — T, too, was so fortunate as to be pre- 

 sent at the trial of Ploughs at the late Exhi- 

 bition of the Philadelphia Agricultural So- 

 ciety, and can bear testimony to the superi- 

 ority of the centre-draught plough for the 

 purpose of cultivating the land preparatory to 

 sowing, but whether it is equally suitable for 

 stirring fallowed land, when it is necessary 

 that the fiirrows should be set more on edge 

 that the drag might take a greater hold upon 

 them, remains a question, which ought, how- 

 ever, to be solved. Why docs not Mr. Prouty 

 take means to show the powers of his plough 

 under various circumstances and in different 

 soils'? The premiums he has obtained, and 

 the desire which it is natural he should feel 

 to brinir his plough into notice and competi- 

 tion v.ilh others, ought to operate as a strong 

 inducement to him to use every means in his 

 power for this purpose. 



But my present object is, just to say, the 

 subsoil plough, with its operations, have con- 

 vinced me that the system of stirring the 

 hard pan is about to become the value of the 

 rent of our land to us; and the thing is at 

 once 60 complete and manifest, that it must 



have struck every beholder with surprise. 

 Many had their doubts as to the feasibility of 

 turning the next furrow-slice on to the loos- 

 ened earth of the subsoiled furrow, thinking 

 it probable that the work may be harder and 

 the land might not lie so smoothly ; but such 

 was not the case, for the furrow was turned 

 as easily and laid as evenly as though no sub- 

 soiling had been practised. But, only just 

 think for a moment of the effect which the 

 system will have on the tap-rooted plants ; 

 and more especially on the growth of the po- 

 tatoe, when deposited on the loosened soil of 

 the furrow and covered with manure, which 

 will be carried down by every rain to the tap- 

 roots of the plants imbedded in it, instead of 

 the sets being laid upon the hard pan of the 

 soil, at the depth of a few inches only, as they 

 now are. I should expect that it will be the 

 means of adding many thousand bushels to 

 our crops, especially in a time of drought, 

 enabling us to cope with " the Green moun- 

 tain boys," who find it by no means an un- 

 common occurrence to turn up from 1000 to 

 1800 bushels to the acre ! Where are these 

 subsoil ploughs to be obtained ] 



John Davis. 



Lancaster County. 



Fruit Trees. 



The practice of draining, so necessary for 

 the well-being of every species of vegetables, 

 is found of superlative importance to orchards 

 having unhealthy subsoils, the presence of 

 which is easily shown by moss growing on 

 the branches and a coarse and open bark. 

 The Boston Cultivator states, that a Mr. 

 Chinny has found by experience that the 

 water in a retentive suhsoil was so injurious 

 to the growth of his trees, as to justify the 

 expense of ditches cut from two to three feet 

 deep to carry off' the water, which, collecting 

 in tiie subsoil, paralyzed and corrupted the 

 tender roots. At the bottom of these drains 

 is left a water-course about eight inches deep, 

 covered with flat stones; on these some brush 

 is thrown, and the whole is filled with the 

 earth that had been dug out in forming the 

 drains. Thus has he secured the most entire 

 success on land that before had baffled all his 

 attempts to raise an orchard. A periodical 

 liming is of the greatest benefit to an or- 

 chard ; so also is the washing of the trunk 

 and branches of the trees with strong soap- 

 suds, which also might be applied to their 

 roots, opening the ground for the purpose. 

 Pruning should be attended to, and practised 

 annually, sparingly at first, or great injury 

 may arise from the infliction of large wounds 

 and the exposure of the trees to violent winds 

 during winter, before the young wood had 

 shot forth to protect them. 



