No. 9. 



Ploughing Stiff Soils. — Law Courts. 



267 



have wrought such a change in the condition 

 of the first body ofsub-oii penetrated the pre- 

 vious year, as to justify its bping brought to 

 the surface. If this can be efteoted, and the 

 thing is so self-evident, that we think few 

 will doubt it, we would ask, are not the 

 chances greatly in favour of the plan we pro- 

 pose! Is it not reasonable that, in tlie en- 

 larged sources of gaining nutriment which 

 would be thus unfolded to the roots of plants, 

 they would prosper better than before ? Our 

 common-sense view of things tells us that 

 8uch would be the inevitable effects produced. 

 And there is no one who may have traced 

 the astonishing depths to which the roots of 

 various plants penetrate, even through hard- 

 pan subsoils, that will, for a moment, doubt 

 the justness and propriety of our conclusions. 

 We have admitted, that subsoils which have 

 not been disturbed, and consequently have 

 not received the meliorating influences of 

 sun and air, should not be turned up in that 

 state ; but in this admission we do not con- 

 cede the point that they are always to remain 

 in that condition. Our plan presupposes the 

 practicability of neutralizing, by the applica- 

 tion of proper means, whatever, in the con- 

 stituent properties of such soils there may be 

 pernicious to the growth of plants, and by so 

 doing, not only to encourage, but positively 

 to enhance, the productive capacities of such 

 land. Deep fertile soils, we all admit to be 

 the best adapted to the purposes of culture, 

 and surely there can be nothing wrong, 

 where it may be practicable, in deepening 

 soils where we find them less deep than they 

 should be. 



In Flanders, where agriculture is conduct- 

 ed with persevering industry and intelligence, 

 by means of pursuing a system of enlightened 

 manuring and trench-ploughing, for a series 

 of years, the soil has been deepened until it 

 has assumed a depth of from 18 inches to 2 

 feet. This desirable object has been attained, 

 not by turning up the earth to that extent at 

 once, but by a patient persistence in a course 

 of culture which looked to a gradual achieve- 

 ment of the end in view. There, owing to 

 their superior economy of manure, and, con- 

 sequently, its freer and more generous use, 

 the agricultors are enabled to use the trench- 

 plough and turn up the maiden earth ; be- 

 cause in their facilities for changing its cha- 

 racter, they have a sure guarantee for so doing. 

 But with us, we think the plan of subsoil- 

 ploughing, and previous partial melioration, 

 is the more preferable one, and hence we ad- 

 vise its adoption. 



There is another view which we take of 

 this question, from which we think good 

 would arise. By opening the earth to the 

 depth we propose, in stiff soils, a greatly in- 

 creased field would be presented for the ab- 1 



sorption of rain, whenever it might fall in 

 quantities of excess; by which means the 

 roots of growing crops would be relieved 

 from that serious evil, and vegetation would 

 go on healthfully. 



In all cases where a field may be submit- 

 ted to the operation of subsoil-ploughing, un- 

 less a strong clover-lay be turned down, a 

 good dressing of compost, stable, or cow-yard 

 manure, should be given it — and where the 

 soil is not naturally calcareous, or has not 

 previously received a dressing of lime, one 

 should be administered. — Am. Far. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Law Conrts. 



Mr. EniTOR, — Having sold out early on 

 Saturday last, at Philadelphia market, I 

 thought I would visit the law courts a short 

 time before my return home, and cannot but 

 think, if some of my neighbours, whom I 

 could mention, would sometimes indulge 

 their propensity in a taste of the expensive 

 article second-hand, it might save them much 

 money and time, and more anxiety and un- 

 happiness. I found that the cause on trial 

 was one of a vexed nature, relating to pro- 

 perty, which I could not understand ; the 

 witness up on cross-examination being a dis- 

 tant neighbour, a plain farmer like myself, 

 whose situation was anything but enviable — 

 indeed, the opposing counsel had, by cross- 

 questioning, reduced him to a non-entity ! I 

 pitied my poor friend from my heart, and won- 

 dered how I should appear in such a situation 

 — in the midst of half a dozen men sitting 

 round a table, and with pens in their hands 

 rfcording every word the moment I should 

 utter them, in the hope of making me eat 

 ihcm by and by — with countenances screwed 

 up for the sport, and crouching like tigers to 

 make a spring at their prey the instant it 

 should fall into their net! I felt such horror 

 at the scene that I left in disgust; and on my 

 peaceful and plodding journey home in my 

 wagon, wondered what would be the result 

 if a witness were to decline answering any 

 question which was not relevant to the busi- 

 ness on hand. Perhaps I shall be told he 

 would be committed to prison for contempt 

 of court — but with a proper deference for the 

 court and all connected with it, I cannot but 

 believe that a man would be justified in his 

 refusal, if it were offered upon proper grounds. 

 I pursued the inquiry in my mind until I had 

 concocted an address to the judge — supposing 

 myself to be the unfortunate being " up for 

 cross-examination," which I here set down 

 for your perusal, and, if you think proper, for 

 publication; this being on a business with 

 which many of our class of the community 



