94 



SubsoiKng. 



Vol. VII. 



ture fruit has been falling oft* during the 

 summer, before it was half grown — showing 

 signs of inward disease — are now covered 

 with a thick pall of the web of the caterpil- 

 lar, the effect of disease, vo doubt. I am, 

 therefore, a firm advocate for the theory so 

 strongly advocated by your correspondent, 

 and by many excellent writers of former 

 days — " honest John Lawrence," in particu- 

 lar — that blight, "with all its sad concomi- 

 tancy," is the consequence of disease ; and 

 that the most likely way to escape it, is to 

 raise our crops strong and healthy, rather 

 than big and gross ; depending more on the 

 constitutional vigor of the plant, than on its 

 extrinsic appearance of luxuriant growth. 



Lower Dublin, September 6th, 1842. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Subsoiling. 



Messrs. Editors, — I have just finished 

 subsoiling a field of 14 acres, after once 

 ploughing a clover sod, (the first crop of grass 

 having been made into hay, the second 

 mown for seed ;) which it is my intention to 

 seed with wheat, and slightly to top-dress 

 during winter, with manure from the cattle 

 yard. What will be the result in case of a 

 blighting year! and shall I escape the fly, 

 while my neighbour on his oat stubble, well 

 pulverized and highly manured, breeds mil- 

 lions ? I am free to confess, that is my hope — 

 whether well or ill founded, time will show. 

 My management has been, to turn with a 

 small furrow, the clover sod about three 

 inches deep only, as the soil is naturally 

 thin ; and to subsoil, say about two inches 

 more, so as effectually to break up the hard- 

 pan, and but little else : this plan, it will be 

 perceived, is quite different to that which 

 has been uniformly urged in the operation 

 of subsoiling, which is, to send the plough 

 down to the beam at once ; but I have an 

 idea that such an extremity may not be ad- 

 visable in my case, whatever it might be in 

 a deep, rich and stiff soil ; for as the winter 

 rains will wash to the bottom of the pulver 

 ized subsoil, a great portion of the manure 

 from the surface, it would be lost to the 

 present wheat crop, by reason of its being 

 diffused through so large a mass of sterile 

 earth : I therefore prefer a partial loosening 

 of the subsoil the present season, which can 

 be deepened the next year; for I am one 

 who will not grudge the expense of the ope- 

 ration every year, if it have the effect which 

 I fully expect from present appearances; as 

 I am not so unreasonable as to expect some- 

 tliimr from nothing. I admit it is double 

 labour, but it does not follow that all labour 



is trouble — nay, the most pleasant work that 

 1 have been engaged in, is this subsoiling, 

 which can be fully performed by a lad of 15 

 years, and a pair of small horses ; indeed, 

 with my present views, I consider a strong 

 horse and the small subsoil, Prouty plough, 

 competent to the task on most of the soils 

 in this part of the country. My opinion is, 

 that the part which I have subsoil ed the 

 present season, might be brought up the 

 next year and be mingled with the top soil ; 

 while another couple of inches may then be 

 subsoiled, to be again turned up the follow- 

 ing year, if found advisable; so that I pro- 

 pose to ameliorate my soil by degrees, as my 

 means are at present slender, and my soil 

 thin and weak ; and I am very desirous of 

 knowing what are the opinions of your in- 

 telligent readers on this, to me, very inte- 

 resting subject. Will they, at the same 

 time, state their objections, if any, to the 

 mode which I intend to pursue in sowing 

 the land above described, with wheat — it is, 

 to allow it to lie untouched for fifteen days, 

 then to roll it heavily, harrow once the same 

 way the land was ploughed, sow the seed, 

 two bushels and a peck per acre, and after 

 two or three harrowings, roll again ; my ob- 

 ject being to furnish on my light soil, a close 

 seed bed for the wheat, to prevent a too lax 

 and premature growth before winter; which 

 I calculate to be the true cause of the pre- 

 valence of blight in all its variety, the fly 

 being one of the effects. S. 



Berks County, Sept. 10th, 1842. 



Manufacture of Silk in Ohio. — We find 

 the following statement in one of our ex- 

 change papers. There are many evidences 

 in different parts of the country, that not- 

 withstanding the severe shock which the 

 silk culture received from the explosion of 

 the Multicaulus bubble, it is by no means 

 prostrated. It is really very gratifying to 

 observe the amount of enterprise and perse- 

 verance, that is brought to bear upon this 

 subject. We hope they will never tire, un- 

 less it shall be thoroughly demonstrated that 

 silk cannot be profitably made in the United 

 States. — Ed. 



"Mr. John W. Gill, of Mount Pleasant, 

 Hamilton county, Ohio, manufactured during 

 the last year, upwards of $9,000 worth of 

 silk goods. His clear profit on the capital 

 invesfed, was ten per cent. He has three 

 large cocooneries, and commenced this sea- 

 son to feed upwards of two mill ions of worms, 

 which he calculates will yield him upwards 

 of six hundred bushels of cocoons, worth at 

 present prices, $2,000, but much more to 

 him, as he will manufacture the whole crop 

 into various fabrics." 



