No. 2. 



Wheat-Soicing. — Deep Ploughing. 



51 



But both the above modes of sowing wheat 

 on clover-lay after one ploughing, give crops 

 superior to those raised from fallows ; and 

 farmers can easily try both, for determining 

 whicli to prefer — that is, as well in the m- 

 'mediate sowing on ploughing in the clover, 

 as in the method of sowing not until ten or 

 fourteen days after ; both modes are excel- 

 lent. I should say, in letting the soil rest ten 

 or fourteen days, an opening is given to heavy 

 rains, consolidating and leaving it in an infe- 

 rior state for receiving the seed ; and if rain 

 falls after burying the clover and before sow- 

 ing the wheat, it may sometimes be neces- 

 sary to wait for the ground to become only 

 moist, rather than to sow when it is wet and 

 heavy; but if the clover is ploughed when 

 the land is dry, he may choose to wait for rain 

 before he sows, although, for this reason alone, 

 lie need not wait. I have found it quite safe 

 to sow during a drought, on clover once 

 ploughed, and when the soil is very dry, but 

 not when a light rain has fallen on very dry 

 land ; in the former case, the seed is safe un- 

 til rain falls, which is usually in plenty after 

 a drought, for then the seed grows quickly 

 up — but in the other case, it is only slightly 

 damped and swells, but the moisture "is so 

 soon evaporated as to leave the seed to dry- 

 rot and perish ; it is probable that Mr. Macro's 

 was a light soil, and not liable to be hardened 

 by ten or fourteen days' exposure before sow- 

 ing, as, on a rain, strong wheat-land would : 

 but farmer Kliyogg, the Swiss, says, that 

 wheat shoots strongest when there is an in- 

 terval between the time of ploughing and 

 sowing, but that barley is most vegetative 

 when sown immediately after the plough.* 

 One of my neighbours, intending to sow 

 wheat on clover-lay, ploughed up the clover 

 a week or two before seeding-time, and then 

 gave it a second ploughing across, and sowed 

 wheat upon it ! Vast numbers of the roots of 

 the clover were turned up, and were left 

 standing erect above ground all over the field ! 

 Here was unnecessary labour, an useless and 

 even injurious ploughing, by which the ma- 

 nure from those substantial roots, and a good 

 part of the green crop, was lost to the crop 

 of wheat. 



Mr, Singleton of Talbot, a gentleman en- 

 tirely to be depended upon, says, while walk- 

 ing in his wheat-field, he was surprised to 

 find that the crop was much superior on the 

 worst part of the field, where the soil loas the 

 poorest and thinnest; it being taller, with 

 stronger straw and larger ears. This part 

 of the field had been in clover, which was 

 twice mown, and, in August, it was broken 

 up, and sown with wheat the first of Sep- 



*T)iis is easily accounted for: wheat roots deep, but 

 barley forms its roots near the surface, and subsides 

 with the earth, without injury. 



tember: the other part, the best land, had 

 the clover broken up in March for tobacco, 

 but this crop being laid aside, the land was 

 repeatedly ploughed during the summer as a 

 fUloio, and sown also on the first of the same 

 September with wlieat — the yield from which 

 was fourteen busliels and a half per acre, 

 when the part which had been twice mown 

 and but once ploughed, gave twentyfour 

 bushels and a half per acre ! This differ- 

 ence is great, if we add the value of the clo- 

 ver crops, and deduct the expense of the 

 summer ploughings, and abundantly prove 

 the superiority of wheat on one earth." 



Edmund Cross. 



Deep Ploughing. 



In our last number we gave some hints 

 upjon this subject, or upon the first principles 

 of good ploughing. Since giving that piece 

 tmour readers, we have seen a demonstration 

 of/a fact therein mentioned. 



jWhile passing through a field of corn a 

 fev miles from this city, our attention was 

 ca led to one portion of the field more par- 

 ticularly, which seemed to be in a much more 

 flon'ishing condition than the balance, which, 

 of course, induced us to enquire into the cause. 

 Tie soil and situation of the land seemed to 

 be precisely the same, and the only difference 

 was that in the appearance of the corn. On 

 en(;uiry we were told by our friend, that the 

 land was all ploughed at or near the same 

 tinje, and that the corn in the forward piece 

 was" planted one day earlier than in the other. 

 \Vb enquired if it was all ploughed by the 

 sane hand ? the answer was, that it was not. 

 He said the forward corn belonged to him, 

 an( that he ploughed the land himself; and 

 thet he followed the dictates of his better 

 judgment, and the advice of experienced cul- 

 tiv tors, found registered in an agricultural 

 pajer. He informed us that he ploughed his 

 con-land very deep, and was particular to 

 av( id what is termed " cutting and covering," 

 or etting the plough take more land than it 

 would turn; while his friend, in the other 

 par; of the field, ploughed but very shallow, 

 con;ending with him, the while, that it was 

 betier for the soil, that deep ploughing was 

 of no use, and that he would kill his horses, 

 by jvorking them so hard. 



Our friend heeded not what he said, but 

 continued on with deep ploughing. When 

 the 'ground was prepared for the seed, the 

 corn for the whole field was taken from the 

 samje lot, and that on the deep ploughed, as 

 we istated, was planted but one day first. 

 Wl^en we passed through the field on the 

 27tb, the corn on the deep ploughed land was 

 more than six days earlier, than that on the 

 shallow ploughed land, while the former had 



