140 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



near the top, to prevent falling. In this manner 

 the stalks dried rapidly, and gathering them be- 

 fore the heavy and late rains, we have not lost a 

 pound of fodder. Sweet corn should be planted, 

 or sown in drills, or broad cast, (if any prefer,) 

 at the same time that common corn is planted. 

 The richer and deeper the soil, tlie more sure and 

 abundant the crop. We have about a bushel of 

 sweet corn for seed, and can accommodate a few 

 early applicants with good seed, if it be wanted, 

 at the rate of fifty cents per quart. 



E. P. Walton. 

 Montpelier, Vt., Jan., 1853. 



LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTURAL MEET- 

 INGS. 



Fourth Meeting— Tuesday Evening, Feb. 8, 1853. 



The fourth meeting of the series was held at the 

 State House, on Tuesday evening. Hon. Seth 

 Sprague, of Duxbury, was called to the chair, 

 whereupon the sulyect of discussion for the eve- 

 ning was announced, as follows : — 



"The ]>est method of breaking up and pulver- 

 izing soils, and the depth of this process best 

 adapted to ordinary cultivation." 



Mr. Howard, of Boston, read a letter from Mr. 

 Proctor, of Danvers, (who was unable to be pre- 

 sent) submitting some remarks in relation to this 

 subject. Pulverization of soils he regarded as the 

 basis of cultivation. However large a plant may 

 be, its extreme rootlets will be of the smallest pos- 

 sible dimensions, and consequently the soil should 

 be loose and free, in order to present no obsta- 

 cles to their growth. Plowing, of course, is the 

 most efficient means of stirring up the soil. As 

 to the depth of plowing, agricultural societies 

 seem to fix upon six inches as the standard, which 

 Mr. Proctor thought was founded on the system 

 of using only one yoke of oxen in the operation. 

 He was of opinion that larger teams should be 

 used and plowing carried deeper, say to 9 or 12 

 inches depth, especially when the soil rests upon 

 a hard pan. He knew of no crop that would not 

 grow better when the soil is stirred to that depth, 

 than when plowed six or seven inches. Addition- 

 al manures will convert the gravel and sand which 

 may be thrown up into good soil, in a few years. 



Mr. Sprague thought there might be a question 

 in some places as to the best instrument to be 

 used in preparing the soil for cultivation. Plow- 

 ing is the only mode which the farmers of this 

 country can use. He alluded to the improvements 

 which have been made in the plow in this coun- 

 try, and to the fact that an American plow had 

 carried away the highest prize at the World's Fair, 

 in London. This event demonstrates the fact that 

 the farmers of this country possess the best plows 

 that the world can produce for preparing the soil 

 for planting. Mr. Sprague thought there was a 

 great lack of skill among our farmers in the art of 

 plowing. The plow should be made to run just 

 such a depth, and the furrow slice proportioned to 



the depth. The soil is better pulverized when 

 this precision is gained. Plowing, as a general 

 principle, should be deep. But it depends upon 

 circumstances as to whether or no land should be 

 plowed deep. Subsoiling some lands, if they are 

 not properly drained, makes them more capable of 

 retaining water than of raising good crops. He 

 spoke of the clod-crushers, an implement used in 

 England, made like a roller with teeth or pikes to 

 break the clods in pieces, which is valuable on some 

 kinds of land. 



Hon. Am ASA Walker spoke of the importance 

 attached in England to a thorough pulverization 

 of the soil, a fact which he said was strikingly in- 

 dicated by the great number and difierent kinds of 

 plows which they used. At the manufactory of 

 Ransom & Co., in Ipswich, Eng., he had seen 107 

 different kinds. Some of these had 5-4 di -erent 

 mould-boards, and some 40 shares. There were 

 one thousand different patterns of plowshares. 

 All these modifications were intended to meet the 

 requirements of the various kinds of soil. The 

 complement for one farmer is generally twenty- 

 five plows. But, for all this pains-taking, we have 

 the best plows. The speaker enforced the neces- 

 sity of a thorough breaking up of the soil, as be- 

 ing essential to the thrifty growth of all agricul- 

 tural production. 



Mr. Sheldon, of Wilmington, recommended the 

 use of the Michigan subsoil plow for breaking up 

 grass lands. The depth of plowing he believed 

 should be decided by the judgment of the farmer. 

 Some varieties of land need to be plowed a great 

 deal more than others. This should depend in a 

 great measure upon the amount of manure that 

 will be bestowed upon the soil. If plowed deep, 

 it requires more dressing than if plowed shallow. 

 We, however, seldom plow deeper than we 

 ought. He thought from seven to nine inches was 

 deep enough to plow on common land. Mr. Shel- 

 don also alluded to the benefit arising from skil- 

 ful plowing. He believed there was a great sav- 

 ing in plowing straight. It makes much better 

 finished land. 



Mr. Darling, of Leominster, said that in plow- 

 ing, regard should be had to the use which is to 

 be made of the land. If he had a piece of grass 

 land which he wanted to use for corn, he would 

 plow it in the fall about three inches deep, and 

 leave it for the frost to work upon and finish. 

 Frost will tear it completely in pieces. In the 

 spring if he were going to plant in furrows, he 

 would harrow it, spread on his manure, and then 

 cross-plow it. By this mode not a particle of turf 

 is left on the ground or in it. He had never seen 

 anything so efiectual as this for pulverizing the 

 soil. 



Mr. CoLLAMORE, of Pembroke, inquired the na- 

 ture of the soils which Mr. Darling had treated in 

 this way. His experience had been that on a 



