202 



Subsoil Ploughing. — CooJiivg Food for Stock. 



Vol. VI. 



highest limed farms the fastest; until they 

 have become as patterns to be referred to in 

 other places. VVe by no means wish it to be 

 understood that we impute all this improve- 

 ment to the use of lime ; — good management, 

 judicious rotations of crops, &c., have all as- 

 sisted, and largely too. But we contend that 

 whatever part of this improvement is owing 

 to the use of lime, is owing to magnesian 

 lime, and to none other. This is no two-pen- 

 ny experiment made in a garden-pot or the 

 corner of a field, and continued for a single 

 year, but it has extended over hundreds of 

 thousands of acres, through a long period of 

 years, and in all kinds of soils, wet and dry, 

 heavy and light. From the tertiary, or ra- 

 ther perhaps diluvial sand of Jersey, to the 

 unchanged remains of the primary rocks of 

 south-eastern Pennsylvania. 



Having thus shown that the wide-extended 

 and long experience of this district of country 

 is entirely at variance with the doctrine of 

 the injurious nature of magnesian lime to 

 vegetation, and not only so, but diametrically 

 opposed to it, let no young or timid farmer 

 be deterred from the use of this kind of lime 

 merely because they see its injurious nature 

 formally set forth in books, or hear it strenu- 

 ously contended for by some of the would-be 

 oracles of the day. Whenever they are out- 

 argued by such, let them point, and triumph- 

 antly point, to this great and decisive experi- 

 ment, as destructive of the theory — worth a 

 thousand times more than all the theory that 

 has ever been babbled on the subject. But 

 still let them proceed with their liming. 

 They will never regret the expense. 



S. Lewis. 



Dec. 24, 1841. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Snbsoil Ploughing. 



Mr. Editor, — I am glad to see the notice 

 of a day's ploughing, under the auspices of 

 the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, for 

 the purpose of testing the merits of the Cen- 

 tre-draught plough, as also for the trial of the 

 subsoil plough, an instrument of which we 

 hear so much and know so little. I had un- 

 derstood that they were always made of mon- 

 strous size, requiring great power of draught, 

 but Mr. Prouty informs us the plough intend- 

 ed for trial is to be a two-horse plough only, 

 and if witli that we are enabled to break up 

 our subsoils, I shall consider the implement 

 above all price, for although I have never wit- 

 nessed the operation, I am prepared to expect 

 the greatest and best results from a mode of 

 management which carries conviction to the 

 mind of every practical man. The effect of 

 a pulverized subsoil must indeed be peculiarly 

 friendly to the growth of potatoes, while to 



any crop, be it of what description it might, 

 its power of retaining moisture m a season of 

 drought, or of permitting a superabundance 

 to pass away, must be of paramount import- 

 ance to any soil. 



In a late number of the Southern Cultiva- 

 tor mention is made of a person who, "while 

 taking in his corn fodder, observed a great 

 difference between two pieces which were 

 planted at the same time and in the same 

 soil ; tlie fodder in one piece of ground dried 

 up so fast that he could scarcely get through 

 with stripping it, before it was entirely burnt 

 up, to use the common phrase ; when, on going 

 to the other piece, he found it green to the 

 ground, and in good plight for stripping. He 

 was struck with this difference in the two lots 

 of corn, and, on reflection, recollected that, 

 on getting ready to plant his corn in the 

 spring, he ran a furrow with a large bar-share 

 plough, after which he followed with a small 

 plough, called a Bull-tongue, running it pret- 

 ty deep in the same furrow, until he had pro- 

 ceeded over half the piece, when he conclud- 

 ed to plant the balance in the single furrow, 

 and discontinued the use of the bull-tongue. 

 The result was, the part planted in the open- 

 ing made by the small plough, where the 

 large one had been previously run, produced 

 a third more fodder, and of a better quality 

 than that planted in the shallow one made by 

 the large plough alone ; besides the great 

 difference there must be in the weight of the 

 corn when drying too fast, for the purpose of 

 making bread. This should be remembered, 

 and the evils of shallow planting be avoided." 

 Now, here was an instance of subsoiling on a 

 very simple plan, which all might adopt and 

 reap the benefit of", without much extra cost 

 or labour. I look forward to the trial of the 

 above ploughs with very great interest, and 

 consider that Mr. Prouty has taken just the 

 best mode possible to bring his ploughs into 

 notice. I hope he will provide a very strong 

 span of horses. A. C. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Cooking Food for Stock. 



At length a due regard to the importance 

 of cooking food for stock seems to be awaken- 

 ing up amongst us, and many are the inqui- 

 ries for the best mode of conducting the pro- 

 cess — whether by steaming or boiling — as 

 also for the best and most convenient and eco- 

 nomical apparatus for the purpose. Steaming 

 has generally obtained the preference in the 

 estimation of those who have been cogitating 

 on the subject, but I am inclined to believe 

 that, when it becomes generally practised, 

 boiling will be preferred, and chiefly for these 

 reasons: — first, all articles may be properly 

 and easily cooked by boiling, but not by 



