Proceedings of the Farmer^ Club. 549 



be required for a brief abstract of its doings and results on one of 

 the many farms that have adopted it. It is a large plow, making 

 slices fourteen inches thick and eighteen wide, drawn by six or 

 more strong oxen. 



There are two other plows that have become historic from the 

 very great and valuable results that they have produced, but 

 neither claims to perform perfectly the work of thorough reversal 

 of the soil without some aid from hands and spades. One is the 

 Great Jersey trench plow, of the Isle of Jersey, whence it was 

 introduced to England some twenty-five years ago. The other is 

 the Bonnet plow, of France. It is known chiefly in the South of 

 France, w^here it came into use, but its popularity is now extending 

 very rapidly. 



In good soils, prepared in the best manner, accurate and exten- 

 sive observations have shown us that the roots of apple trees do 

 not choose to come nearer than one foot to the surface, and that 

 they will generally occupy a stratum about one foot in thickness, 

 more or less, according to compactness or porosity of soil, the 

 variation not being very great. 



For apples and pears, then, we can see that more than two feet 

 depth of thorough trenching is required for perfect preparation, and 

 we shall come to agree with the best cultivators that, in general, 

 three feet is not too much for true economy. 



The deep, fertile bed of soil is required in either case; that 

 which is too compact being rendered porous, and that which is 

 wastefuUy open being made sufliciently retentive by all of the 

 appliances for ameliorating soils. 



It is quite clear that operating soils to the depth of three feet, 

 by the spade, can never extend beyond an area of a few square rods 

 on each farm. Hence a true and rational agriculture requires of 

 us to produce and use plows especially adapted to thorough 

 trenching, and disintegration to a depth constantly reached by the 

 implements in general use by all good cultivators on the con- 

 tinent. , 



Prof. S. D. Tillman. — The remarks of Dr. Grant have throwH 

 light on questions which cannot be too frequently discussed. This 

 problem of plowing must be clearly solved before we can reach 

 that point in successful farming which insures uniform and abun- 

 dant crops. The practical farmer is not now sure of a fair return 

 for his labor. It is to be hoped that repeated experiments in the 

 application of scientific principles will yet reveal all the conditions 



