314 SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
KOEIZONTAL PLOWIITG-GEADING LAUD. 
On reading Col. Cannon’s explanatory letter of his sys- 
tem of “leveling land,” which appeared in our August 
number, we confess our surprise to find that he calls the 
mere horizontal plowing of side hills the leveling of land. 
We did not for a moment suppose that two operations so 
unlike, and so generally understood, were confounded by 
the force of a sheer provincialism in the use of language. 
Horizontal plowing, hill-side ditching and terrace culture 
are, doubtless, as old as the city of Babylon ; and each 
now resorted to, mainly to prevent the washing of the 
.soil. In many places, nothing more is needed than to 
plow a good furrow parallel with the horizon, leaving the 
land as far from being “level” as it was before, ■ This we 
now understand to be Col. C.’s practice. In the State of 
New York, where a single county often sends a Repre- 
sentative to Cpngress, such is the comparative density of 
population and high price of arable land that steeper side 
hills are cultivated than any in the South. There, what 
•are called hill-side plows, with turning mouldboards, are : 
.generally used, by which every furrow is turned down 
hill, as well as run at a water level, as near as may be, 
from one side of the field to the other. Such are the phy- 
sical properties of the soil in that State, and generally at 
^he North, on the Drift formation, that neither hill side 
■ditches, nor terraces are required. Substantially the same 
-state of things doubtless prevails in Tennessee; so that 
we fully credit all the statements of our correspondents in 
that quarter, while not doubting those of Mr. Harmon of 
Mississippi, who finds horizontal plowing utterly fail to 
prevent washing. Our experience and observations in 
-New York would fully sustain the soundness of the theory 
<of Co], Cannon; and at the same time, our recent experi- 
ence in Georgia compels us to believe with Mr. Harmon, 
•that, until our land is adequately leveled, ditches will be 
found indispensable. By “'adequately leveled land” we 
mean that which may be cross-plowed, or plowed both 
ways, without any danger of washing. Does the “level- 
ed land” of our Tennessee friend permit him to cross-plow 
.his side hills 1 Obviously it gives him no such advantage ; 
and our objection to hill side ditches is in part that they 
interfere with thorough and economical tillage. If they 
are so nearly level as to prevent any washing at the bot- 
tom and sides, they soon fill up and run over, and impose 
a pretty heavy annual ta.v to keep them in good condition. 
If they have full enough to carry off both sediment and ail 
surface water, the latter will be almost certain to wash the 
banks ( f the streamlet, and thus cause, in the end, much 
damage. Hillside ditches are at best mere temporary ex- 
pedients— niake shifts for single crops. Like a withe, or 
wooden togvle to mend an iron cliain when broken, they 
are far better than nothing, nevertheless. 
Taking an enlarged and just view of agriculture, may 
we not regar l the annual cultivation of the soil as one of 
?he mo-t enduring of hutnan occupations'? Why, then, 
refuse to sladv vy/ys and provide means to make the sur- 
face' o'’ the so l precisely w.' at it ouglit to be, as well in 
reference to cultivation and washing, as to iis chemical 
and physical prnptrties ] Regard thefdtm, or plantation, 
as a permanent domestic institution ; as the back- bone of 
the State; for such it really is. Weed out of the agricul- 
tural heart that gipsy spirit of vagabondism, which every- 
where forbids the m.ost substantial improvement of arated 
fields. While we could not subscribe to Col. Cannon’s 
supposed plan to reduce all hills and valleys to a water 
level, we hoped that he had discovered some process by 
which an improvement on vrhat was before known, was 
attained. But if we are not yet in the dark, he fails to 
level either up or down, (as he would the toundation of a 
house placed on a side hill,) so much as one square yard 
of the land he cultivates. We suggested the cost of grad- 
ing railroads simply to indicate that any practice of the 
kind would be too expensive ; and not to intimate that 
such was Col. C.’s practice. 
Water that falls from the clouds js Nature’s grand level- 
ing power operating on continents. It is rain water that 
washes our plowed fields, forms our richest river bottorasi 
by the abrasion of hills and mountains, and wdiich in skil- 
ful hands, will make our side hiUs in a thousand cases, 
as nearly level in all directions, as is desirable. In some 
instances, the existence of solid rock will prevent the per- 
fect action of running water in modifying the surface of 
farms, where they are too uneven ; but on a large major- 
ity that now wash, we conceive it to be practicable by 
proper embankments to elevate and extend the lower por- 
tions with earth brought from the upper, to the ultimate 
benefit of the whole. The principle for which we con- 
tend is this ; The made lands along the banks of our .large 
rivers, and smaller streams gains much more in fertility 
than the uplands near their sources lose. We have seem 
the earth washed out of a few cub^ yards in an old-field 
gulley, enrich several acres when spread over the land by 
water, and deposited as a sediment. Aqueous deposits of 
mud have been highly prized for enriching- land ever 
since the banks of the Nile and of the Euphrates -were 
first cultivated. Natural springs often bring the elements 
of fertility up from great depths and spread them out for 
the nourishment of plants, for many miles, as their waters 
flow towards the ocean. .Protracted dry weather, which 
causes water to come up from the deep subsoil by its 
abundant solar evaporation, gives to the surface soil a new 
supply of valuable salts, potasli, soda, magnesia and 
lime, which are involatile In the region where the 
writer resides, a heavy rain has just fallen, and washed 
indefinite tons of these fertilizing salts into the nearest 
rivers. To avoid losses of this kind, whether by the re- 
moval of soluble or insoluble matter, of that w'hich is or- 
ganic or inorganic, we lay down the rule that neith^ 
earth nor surface water should ever be permitted to rum 
(the earth passing as mud or otherwise in water) from any 
field. 
Water that passes from a higher to a lower level should 
evaporate before it leaves one’s estate, to keep thereon the 
cream of the land. In this way, embankments will gradually 
secure that degree of uniformity of surface which compels, 
on properly worked land, all rains to to sink into the earth. 
With too steep a grade, a part, and sometimes, a large 
part, of surface water runs to a lower level. Fill up this 
lower level wherever practicable, until good plowing wiS 
keep the water where it falls, as nature wisely distribute© 
it. No definite inclination can be stated , because one kind 
of soil will not wash a particle on a particular grade, where 
another kind will run off like quicksand, or light vegetable 
mould. Where a smooth rock comes near the surface, ojr 
where the subsoil is nearly as impervious as solid rock, 
there most of the water on uplands must seek a lowei: 
level Sand hills are always liable to wash, and some- 
times those composed mostly of clay. Deep plowing and 
subsoiling are valuable preventives, for they increase the 
capacity of the ground to take up and hold water. These 
operations had better be as near on a level with the hori- 
zon as practicable. 
