98 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



any one cut, before being stopped in any part 

 of it, by hardness of the soil caused by drought. 

 On this account, it may be too hazardous to 

 resort to this kind o'f ploughing, in summer, 

 wlren "fallowing," or plouhing grass land. to 

 prepare for wheat. Except for this danger of 

 being stopped by drought, summer would be 

 the best time for the operation, as there would 

 be then no danger of damage to the land from 

 the occurrence of saturating and injurious 

 rains, while the alleys were still partially 

 choked by loose earth. 



' So much in regard to the effects of this mode 

 of ploughing or tilth, and as effecting the pre- 

 servation of the former bedding. Next I will 

 describe the much more important effects and 

 the main object, in aid of surface-drainage. — 

 While the ploughing will be as cheap, and 

 more effectual, as ploughing merely, it will at 

 the same time, and with no more expense, 

 greatly aid the other and proper labors for the 

 most effectual surface drainage. 



In general terms, the effect of every such 

 ploughing is to remove the entire* surface soil, 

 to the depth ploughed, from the out-side towards 

 the, centre, as much as the width of thefurrow- 

 &lices. The amount of earth thus removed is 

 enormous. It is dug and removed by the 

 cheapest possible implement and process — and 

 even this labor costs nothing for draining, in 

 as much as it is required for and compensated 

 as necessary tillage. As each furrow-slice re- 

 moved is replaced by another, there will be but 

 very little (and unappreciable) effect in altering 

 the general level of each cut. But the effect 

 will be considerable, at the outside furrow, 

 even at the first operation — and still more and 

 more at every subsequent ploughing, so long 

 as it may be expedient to continue the same 

 manner of ploughing, for furthering the same 

 object. 



If the furrows were cut equal, with perfect ac- 

 curacy, the results might be exhibited to the eye 

 and understanding with geometrical exactness 

 and force. And this can still be done, with 

 due allowances for the imperfection of practi- 

 cal operations compared to theory. But to 

 some extent, practice in this case may even 

 surpass the theory stated. For, while the 

 latter supposes equal dimensions of furrow- 

 slices throughout each cut, in practice, it will 

 be quite easy to cut the few outside slices of 

 greater than the general depth, and so the 

 inor<e to lower the outside margin. There is 

 another thing which will be here mentioned, 

 which should be understood hereafter in every 

 named operation. When a boundary line of a 

 cut is a ditch (of the usual steep and irregular 

 sides,) the team cannot safely walk so close to 

 the edge as to plough and turn away all the 

 margin earth. There must be from 3 feet to 1 

 foot left everywhere uncut (according to the 

 depth or irregularity of the side of the ditch) 

 which earth will require to be dug and pulled 

 back by hand-hoes, which thus perform what 



the plough cannot do at first. This hoe-work 

 being always understood, and always required 

 in aid of any manner of ploughing, (and much 

 less in this than any other,) need not again be 

 referred to. And the cutting to the edge of 

 the ditch will be supposed to be effected by the 

 plough, though always (for the earlier work) 

 requiring to be finished by hand-hoes. 



Then the effect of the first ploughing on this 

 plan, by a four-horse plough, will be to remove 

 the whole surface-soil, for 8 inches deep, a fur- 

 row's width, (say 14 inches) in the directions 

 from the outside to the centre. And the out- 

 side furrow-slice, or earth of the dimensions 

 stated, will be removed entirely and permanent- 

 ly from its former position — and its equivalent 

 quantity distributed oyer the interior or central 

 space of tile cut. This operat'on will lower 

 the margin of the boundary ditches or grips. 

 8 inches deep, and for a width of 14 inches. — 

 When the like ploughing has been clone on the 

 adjoining cut, (E) and to the other side of the 

 grip a, a, the furrow-slice would thus be re- 

 moved from both sides of the old grip, and 

 nearly as deep. A furrow then run along its 

 course, and back in the same track, would 

 deepen the grip, partly fill and slope the bor- 

 ders, and thus, while the grip would be made 

 deeper and better for drainage, it could be less 

 an impediment to tillage, and less liable to be 

 entirely filled with earth by being ploughed 

 across. When the like ploughing is subsequent- 

 ly .repeated, another furrow-slice is removed 

 from the outsides of the cuts, and so much a 

 more gentle slope is given to the grip. Then, 

 and thereafter, the plough will be sufficient to 

 clean the lose earth out of the grips. If more 

 depth is desired, it can be given in closing the 

 ordinary ploughing. xVnd even if made of 

 double the former depth, so wide and so gentle 

 will be the slope of the margins, that the grip 

 will present no serious obstacle to the crossing 

 of ploughs, in any direction, of carts, or even 

 of the passage, at work, of reaping machines. 



The same operation of lowering and sloping 

 off the margins of the deeper rain-ditches would 

 be proceeding in the like manner, and would 

 only require longer time to approach or per- 

 haps reach, the same good results. Even the 

 deepest stream ditches would be much improved, 

 in their surface-drainage operation ; and their 

 obstruction to tillage and to other team labors 

 be greatly diminished. 



Bricklaying. 



This subject, though hardly an agricultural 

 one, is, nevertheless, interesting to farmers as 

 a branch of the general subject of building. 



As introductory to the subject, we shall first 

 offer a few observations on the preparation of 

 mortar. 



The lime to be used in the preparation of 

 mortar should be fresh from the kiln, and it 



