No. 11. 



Fall Ploughing. 



349 



stances would permit," with three other 

 ploughings during its early growth. The 

 very act of deep planting might possibly ope- 

 rate very effectually against the attacks of 

 the cut-worm by placing the grain out of its 

 reach. At all events, the thing is well worthy 

 a careful trial, and the serious consideration 

 and examination of every one, especially of 

 those within a distance which affords the 

 proof of ocular demonstration. I trust we 

 shall hear more on this very interesting sub- 

 ject ; Mr. Young's rotation of crops is as sin- 

 gular as his mode of planting, and might prove 

 to be worthy the imitation of corn-planters 

 and cattle-breeders in this section of country 

 also. T. F. 



Pliiladelphia Co., May 28, 1842. 



Fall Ploughing. 



The Monthly Genesee Farmer, vol. 1, page 

 180, in an article on this subject, says : 



1st. It is one of the established principles 

 of philosophical agriculture, that the soil de- 

 rives much of its productive property from the 

 air, and that chemical changes and combina- 

 tions are constantly going on, by which fer- 

 tility is much increased. These alterative 

 effects of the atmosphere, and these changes 

 of the qualities of the soil, are the more active 

 and efficient as new surfaces are exposed to 

 new action. For instance, much greater quan- 

 tities of carbonic gas will be absorbed by a 

 given surface of earth, if the earth is fre- 

 quently stirred, than if it was allowed to re- 

 main with a single saturated surface. Plough- 

 ing, by exposing new surfaces to the action 

 of the atmosphere, must be productive of es- 

 sential benefit ; and as fall ploughing gene- 

 rally takes place after crops which have par- 

 tially exhausted the surface of some of its 

 nutritive and absorbent qualities, its service 

 in aid of spring crops is greatly enhanced. 



2. There is always on land more or less 

 grass, weeds, stubble, or other vegetable mat- 

 ters convertible into mould by fermentation 

 and decomposition, a process which is greatly 

 aided by being turned under the surface of 

 the earth. Fall ploughing renders such sub- 

 stances much sooner available in advancing 

 the growth of crops, than they would be if 

 left uncovered during the winter, independ- 

 ent of the great loss necessarily sustained by 

 the washing away of the lighter materials 

 aad their dispersion by the winds. 



3d. Nothing acts more efficiently on moist 

 soils in promoting vegetation, than high pul- 

 verization; and fall ploughing aids this opera- 

 tion most essentially. Lands that if ploughed 

 in the spring only, will remain in large cakes 

 or lumps, defying the efforts of the farmer to 

 reduce them suitably, will, if ploughed in the 

 fall, be found loosened in texture and fitted 

 for early operations in the spring of the year. 



Frost is the most efficient disintegrator of the 

 soil with which the agriculturist is acquaint- 

 ed, and he should avail himself of its availa- 

 ble labours in all practicable cases. 



4th. The earlier the ground can be pre- 

 pared for the suitable reception of spring 

 crops, such as corn, spring wheat and barley, 

 the better it will be found for the cultivator; 

 and in nine cases out of ten, early sown crops 

 are the heaviest and most productive. 



5th. Ploughing land acts more effectually 

 in destroying insects than any other mode of 

 treatment, and fall ploughing for this purpose 

 is preferable to any other. Those insects 

 which produce the most mischief to the farm- 

 er, such as the fly, cut-worm, grub, &c., can- 

 not resist the frost of our winters, if prema- 

 turely exposed to its action by a fall plough- 

 ing. The cut-worm which accumulates in 

 such numbers in old meadows and pastures, 

 is thus destroyed, and crops planted on them 

 saved. 



Lastly. Our summers are so limited in 

 duration, that unless the time allotted to 

 vegetation is fully occupied by the growth 

 and ripening of plants, the certain failure of 

 crops may be anticipated. Hence the farmer 

 usually is more hurried by his work in the 

 spring than he ought to be, in order to avoid 

 having his crops caught by the frost and snow. 

 It should be the object of the farmer to have 

 his necessary labour as nearly equalized 

 through the season as possible, and thus avoid 

 all pressures at inconvenient seasons of the 

 year. Experience shows that the farmer in 

 most cases, has more leisure hours in the fall 

 of the year than at any other time, and he 

 who would work it right, should employ this 

 time in advancing his next sprinff''s work — for 

 such, fall ploughing emphatically is — and thus 

 preventing the pressure of business then usual- 

 ly felt. 



Chinese Method of Propagating Fruit 

 Trees. — Take about two quarts of moist 

 earth, and tie it around the limb which you 

 wish to make a new tree of, by means of a 

 piece of old cloth, or anything else that will 

 keep in place. Let it remain several months, 

 till the earth becomes full of small roots; 

 then cut off' the limb just below the parcel of 

 earth, and set it in the ground. The small 

 roots soon become large ones, and the limb 

 speedily forms a productive tree. If the earth 

 be put on a good limb in April, it would pro- 

 bably be fit to plant in November ; though I 

 cannot say it would not require another year. 

 This method may, in many cases, be better 

 than grafting, cutting off roots and planting 

 the sprouts that run up from them, or any 

 other method in use among us for multiply- 

 ing the number of trees bearing choice kinds 

 of apples or other fruits. 



