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ed on another trial, and accordingl} staked off a strip of about 

 one hundred feet wide through the centre of a field of about 

 three acres, which I planted with sugar corn. This was on a rich 

 alluvial soil, with a subsoil inclining to be clayey. The whole 

 field was* treated alike, except that the strip above mentioned 

 was subsoiled fifteen inches deep, the rest of the field being 

 ploughed about seven inches. The result was the same as last 

 year. The strip that was subsoiled was altogether inferior in its 

 growth and produca to the rest of the field. 



I lay these facts before you for consideration, and 1 wish to be 

 clearly understood that I have no idea of saying that I consider 

 subsoiling a useless process, but only that I think it clearly proved 

 that there are cases where it is useless or worse than useless, and 

 I am the more desirous of taking a firm stand here for the reason 

 that there are men who run to the opposite extreme and cry out 

 at the ignorance of "old fashioned farmers" because they will 

 not believe that subsoiling is useful in all cases. I have borne 

 my share of ridicule among old fashioned farmers for being a 

 «' book farmer," but have not been prevented thereby from trying 

 experiments, neither shall I hesitate to make those experiments 

 known when the results conflict with the theories of scientific 

 men. Of the utility of subsoil ploughing in many soils I have 

 seen too many instances to need any argument to prove it, but, 

 if I am not mistaken, my own experience proved that in some 

 soils it may be useless or even injurious. 



Very respectfully, your ob't servant, 



H. W. S. CLEVELAND. 



Professor Mapes. — I am intimate with Mr. Cleaveland, who is 

 TTorthy of all confidence. His farm is the only one I have ever 

 heard of on which the subsoil plough has not proved distinctly 

 beneficial, and several farmers with soils of similar appearance at 

 but a few miles from Burlington, and near Mount Holly, have ben- 

 efited materially by the use of the subsoil plough. During the 

 drought of last year, corn planted on subsoiled lands did not 

 curl or roll on these farms, while oa soils not so treated the crops 

 suffered severely. 



