No. 10. 



Thorough Culture of the Soil. 



307 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Thorough Culture of the Soil. 



It has been said, that out of thirty seeds 

 that ought to start soon after the time of 

 sowing, not more than one will be found at 

 the time of harvest. Now, although this 

 statement might be considered as exagge- 

 rated, yet to a careful observer, the real 

 matter "of fact will be astounding. Many 

 have been the opinions of agriculturists on 

 this all-important subject, and the extreme 

 paucity of plants on the ground, that is often 

 witnessed in early spring after a severe win- 

 ter, would lead one to believe that the gene- 

 ral opinion, namely, that the killing out of 

 the crop has been occasioned by the unkindly 

 state of the winter weather, is correct ; but 

 in that invaluable little work, "Bland's Prin- 

 ciples of Agriculture," a flood of light is 

 thrown open to us, by which I believe the 

 evil will be perceived to arise, in a very 

 great measure indeed, from a far different 

 cause — a cause that has hitherto been over- 

 looked by almost every one. On his chap- 

 ter " Of sowing seeds," he makes the fol- 

 lowing observations, which I beg you to re- 

 cord in the pages of the Cabinet, for future 

 reference. 



"The principles to be attended to, are, 

 that the seed, of whatever description, should 

 have the soil made sufficiently close, yet ten- 

 der, about it, to prevent any circulation of 

 fresh air, beyond what the effects of vegeta- 

 tion may occasion; for if it lie so close as to 

 establish a complete exclusion of all fresh 

 air, which always ensues on land that kneads 

 on treading — a standstill is the consequence. 

 But on the other hand, should the soil lie 

 loose about the grains or seeds, the propor- 

 tion of air proves too great for decomposi- 

 tion, when dryness is favoured; and from 

 this other extreme, vegetation continues dor- 

 mant until some genial closing showers fall; 

 when, perhaps by chance, vegetation may 

 go on healthily; but it is too apt to cease 

 afterwards, in part or altogether; and this 

 is one cause of the thinning of our crops. 

 The soil, in fact, must be close enough to 

 retain its air and moisture in immediate 

 contact with the grains, or they cannot be 

 healthily decomposed for the benefit of the 

 seed, and which process must necessarily 

 take some time ; but when any part is ac- 

 complished, the disengaged and rejected 

 portions should be able to escape, to make 

 way for fresh particles, which interchange 

 is, as before stated, materially promoted by 

 every subsequent shower. 



"Now we see, on looking over fallow] 

 land, not dressed down with the harrow after 

 ploughing, how few seedling weeds are toj 



be found springing up; and this is, princi- 

 pally, from the cause above given ; but when 

 this fallow land is closed by repeated har- 

 rowings and rollings, even if no rain follow, 

 germination commences ; thus pointing out, 

 most clearly, the propriety of adequate at- 

 tention being paid to tillage before, as well 

 as after the grain is committed to the 

 ground ; with the prudence of deferring, for 

 a few days, the sowing and finishing of that 

 field, which should plough up too wet to 

 bear the process of pulverization immedi- 

 ately. The kneading of the land, which so 

 frequently occurs at the season of wheat 

 sowing, is removed, and the ill effects coun- 

 teracted by the winter's frost; but it must 

 be borne in mind, that the smaller the seed 

 and the later and drier the time when sown, 

 the finer ought to be the tilth; and the tur- 

 nip is an instance. 



"If we examine a few facts of vegetation, 

 we shall find them as follow : — Grain, in a 

 wet harvest, and when tied in the sheaf, is 

 first detected growing or spearing, about the 

 band ; next, amongst the ears where col- 

 lapsed together; and the evil is remedied 

 by simply loosening the one, and separating 

 or spreading open with the hands the other, 

 to admit of a circulation of air, which arrests 

 all farther vegetation, till more rain falls to 

 closely reunite them again ; and the same 

 follows with mown wheat or barley, when 

 the ears are permitted to remain in contact 

 with the ground, during a series of warm 

 showers; but lightly lifting them up and 

 letting them fall again, or turning them 

 over, effectually preserves the crop, if it be 

 done and repeated in time. And here follow 

 cases analogous to the above — boards or tim- 

 ber, when fresh sawn out and put close toge- 

 ther, will soon generate the dry rot, if pieces 

 of wood or other substance, are not placed 

 between each board or piece of timber, of 

 sufficient thickness to admit a free circula- 

 tion of air. Damp paper and damp linen 

 also, will exhibit marks of the same evil as 

 those boards, and if long neglected, they 

 will be completely destroyed ; as the air, 

 being retained, is decomposed; when the de- 

 structive or vegetating process commences; 

 and like a fire it burns." 



The author's observation, that weeds do 

 not grow so plentifully on fallowed land 

 until it has been dressed down with the 

 harrow, &c, is worthy our most serious 

 consideration, and forms an argument for 

 the new husbandry over the old — the differ- 

 ence between them being this, that the old 

 system went upon the plan of preventing the 

 weeds from growing; the neio, of encourag- 

 ing them to grow, that they might be turned 

 down and destroyed by the plough — which 



