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r ) THE GENESEE FAEMEB. 801 ( ^ 



lectors, might obtain the needed information in every State at a trifling expense, and 

 the facts so ascertained would soon develop truths of the greatest importance. 



The guessing system of miscalled statistics, so long in vogue at the Patent OflBce, 

 we exploded four years ago, and still cherish the hope that State Legislatures may ere 

 long take measures to learn something of the true principles of good husbandry ; and 

 we again repeat, what we have said a thousand times before, "To compete with Eng- 

 lishmen in feeding people at their own doors, while Americans have to transport their 

 breadstuffs and provisions from 3,000 to 4,000 miles to reach the comsumer, is obviously 

 a hard business for our farmers." Our meaning is, that it is hard to draw so largely 

 and continuously on the natural resources of the soil and not impair its fruitfulness, and 

 ultimately impoverish both the land and its cultivators. American statesmen overlook 

 this paramount land and bread question. Educated farmers must become practical 

 statesmen, and take the lead in legislation, before either agriculture or political economy 

 can be placed on a sound and enduring basis. 



dJ 



FALL PLOWINa 



Having some twenty odd acres we intend planting to corn next spring, the question 

 comes up in a practical way. What will the soil gain in the available food of plants by 

 plowing it this fall ? On light sandy or gravelly soils we doubt the propriety of plowing 

 several months before the seed is committed to the earth, because we fear that the 

 elements of both organic and inorganic matter rendered soluble by tillage may be 

 washed out of the open ground, and the land impoverished rather than enriched by fall 

 plowing. We have no doubt of the fact that tillage often operates greatly to the 

 injury of the soil, sometimes by dissolving the food of plants prematurely, so that a 

 part is lost by the washing of the plowed earth long before it is planted or sown, and 

 other times the fine clay and sand run together and become hard before spring, so that 

 the labor of fall plowing is lost. These remarks are made to show that there are two 

 sides to the question of autumn plowing for seeding in the spring. Soils which are 

 either very open, or very compact from an excess of fine clay, gain little by stiring them 

 long in advance of planting. Frost, however, may and often does, operate to improve 

 clay land by rendering it more friable, if plowed in the fall or winter. This is par- 

 ticularly true of clayey loams, soils that do not run together like potter's clay. Clay 

 soils which are not benefitted by fall plowing, nearly always need underdraining to 

 increase their porosity and friability. By throwing the ground into beds when plowed, 

 and opening a deep water furrow between each land, much may be done to prevent the 

 soil from becoming very hard in dry weather, and mortar in wet weather. Undoubt- 

 edly autumn tillage saves field labor in the spring, when one's teams may not be in the 

 best possible condition for service, while a great deal of work is sufiering to be done. 

 Had we plenty of good teams and laborers, we should rarely plow any field more than 

 four weeks before it was to be sown or planted. 



So soon as tillage develops the elements of fertility, and rains fall to dissolve them, 

 our notion is, that the seed should be in the ground to grow and consume the raw 

 material of the crop. We are well aware of the recent researches of Prof. Way and 

 others, showing the retentive power of soils in preventing the loss of manures applied 

 to land in a state of solution ; we are not, however, satisfied that expectations in that 

 matter are to be fully realized by farmers. Mr. Mechi says that his liquid manure, 

 after passing through several feet of soil, still contains both organic and inorganic 

 matter ; and we know that in all good land, rain-water that comes out in springs and 

 wells is not pure, but abounds in both vegetable and mineral salts dissolved out of the 



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