90 
THE CULTIVATOR 
SUBSOIL PLOWING. 
We have had several inquiries as to subsoil plows, the 
method of using them, and the advantages resulting from 
their employment, and we propose to throw into one ar¬ 
ticle, the answer to these several topics. 
There are few things in the march of agricultural im¬ 
provement, that have within the last few years excited 
more attention than that method of ameliorating the soil 
called subsoil plowing. It is well known to the farmer, 
that in ordinary cases the soil, or that part of the earth 
from which the vegetable derives its nourishment, does 
not extend in depth beyond the point penetrated by the 
plow, and this, being but a few inehes, does not afford 
sufficient range for the roots, and is soon exhausted of its 
fertilizing properties. Where it is thus shallow, the soil, 
and consequently the plants, are more liable to suffer 
fro n drouth, or from excess of sui-face water, than where 
the roots have more room to penetrate, or where greater 
facilities are afforded for the discharge of water. It is to 
give a better seed bed, provide a more extensive range 
for the roots of the cultivated plants, and guard against 
excessive drouth or moisture, that subsoil plowing has 
been introduced. 
As it is requisite the subsoil plow should penetrate to 
a much greater depth than the common plow, and into 
earth that had not before been stirred, it is evident a 
powerful implement and a strong team would be re¬ 
quired. This would be the more necessary, if it was 
intended to bring this subsoil earth to the surface, by re¬ 
versing the order of position, as is done when the sur¬ 
face is turned over by the common plow. But it is not 
intended or desired to bring this newly stirred earth to 
the surface; the subsoil plow is used only to break up 
this dense compact earth, and render it porous and per¬ 
meable, while its comparative position remains un¬ 
changed. Still the subsoil plow must be heavy, strong, 
and of the best materials and workmanship, or they will 
fail under the hard trials to which they must be exposed. 
The first English subsoil plows were, however, much 
heavier, and consequently more clumsy and unwieldy 
than experience has proved to be necessary; and though 
those at present used there, are lighter and better than 
formerly, those imported have been found heavier than 
was required for the generality of our soils, and those 
that have been manufactured in this country, have been 
of a still lighter and more portable cast. At first not less 
than six horses were deemed necessary to work the sub¬ 
soil plow, and frequently eight were used; now four are 
considered sufficient for all ordinary soils, and three good 
horses will subsoil to the depth of 18 inches any soil of 
the less dense and tenacious kind. The worst soils, or 
those that require the most force, are clays in which peb¬ 
bles are imbedded, or the common hardpan of farmers; 
and next to this is pure clay, which is always difficult to 
move. 
In using the subsoil plow, experience has shown that 
the best method, the one which is the easiest for the 
team, and which moves and breaks up the soil the deep¬ 
est and most effectually, is to precede it with a common 
plow, which will invert the sod or surface to the depth 
of six or seven inches. In the furrow made by this plow, 
and following it, the subsoil plow passes, penetrating the 
earth to the depth of from twelve to fourteen inches, and 
breaking up or crumbling the earth to that depth. A 
new furrow slice is by the common plow turned on the 
work done by the subsoil one, and this process is fol¬ 
lowed until the field is finished. It is always better to 
use a team sufficiently strong to do this work easily, than 
from the want of power, to compel the animals used to 
a constant severe exertion of their strength. 
On the first introduction of the subsoil plow, it was 
supposed that it would prevent the necessity for draining 
soils; but experience showed that in many cases, and 
particularly on retentive clay ones, lying level, and hav¬ 
ing but an imperfect natural drainage, the subsoil plow 
aggravated the evil it was in part intended to remove. 
It was found that on such soils, the water falling upon 
the surface did not flow off as readily as before; the bro¬ 
ken up earth' retained it in greater quantities, and to 
greater depths, and the further operations of plowing and 
tilling converted it into a quagmire or rather mortar bed 
of the worst kind. On all retentive soils, it has there¬ 
fore come to be considered a settled point in husbandry, 
that draining should precede subsoil plowing, if it is ex¬ 
pected to derive the greatest advantages from its use. It 
is not necessary that the drains should be as numerous as 
where this mode of plowing is not adopted, but should 
be so arranged as to accomniodate the natural flow of the 
water, and of a depth sufficient to preserve their cover¬ 
ings from the action of the plow. With drains thus ar¬ 
ranged, the water which sinks into the soil broken up by 
the subsoil plow, is not retained, but passes off readily, 
giving a dry, and consequently warm and friable soil to 
the depth penetrated by the implement. It is well 
known that the value of a soil can usually be determined 
by its depth. iSubsoil plowing by rendering it accessible 
to the ameliorating influences of the air, and by permit¬ 
ting the descent of surface manures for incorporation 
with the before sterile earth, secures the depth so desi¬ 
rable for the perfect cultivation of plants. Many years 
ago, before the subsoil plow was invented. Judge Pow¬ 
ell of Pennsylvania, said that by increasing the depth to 
which the plow penetrated, at each course of rotation in 
culture, he had brought some lands naturally shallow, to 
have a depth of excellent soil of fourteen inches. Wheat 
rarely or never freezes out of soils so well di’ained, and 
so friable as to allow the roots to penetrate freely to this 
depth, and the drain and the deep plowing combined. 
have much lessened this to the English as well as Ame¬ 
rican wheat grower, the worst difficulty they have to en¬ 
counter. 
In almost every instance where we have known sub¬ 
soil plowing tried in this country, it has been highly 
successful, and where it has partially failed, it may, we 
think, be mostly attributed to the cause we have men¬ 
tioned—not attending to a proper drainage of the ground. 
In the country generally, we can hardly expect farmers 
to adopt methods of farming which will add materially 
to the cost of production: distance from market and cheap¬ 
ness of land combine to prevent this; but in the neigh¬ 
borhood of cities, or the vicinity of good markets,where 
it is desirable to give the soil its greatest degree of pro¬ 
ductiveness, without regard to the expense, the subsoil 
plow will be found an important auxiliary. That its use 
will continue to spread as its merits become known, is 
scarcely to be questioned, and on the best cultivated 
farms of the interior, the subsoil plow is now frequently 
met with. 
Subsoil plows of excellent workmanship, and con¬ 
structed on the most approved principles, are made in 
great numbers by the firms of Buggies, Nourse & Co., 
Worcester, Mass., and Prouty & Mears, Boston. They 
are to be found at most of the Agricultural implement 
and seed stores of the country, and deserve the attention 
of farmers generally. 
FEEDING HORSES. 
Various opinions are entertained as to the best and 
most economical mode of feeding horses, and many ex¬ 
periments are on record that have been instituted to settle 
the question. The result seems to be, that at the ordinary 
prices of grain and hay, it is cheaper to keep horses on 
grain, than on hay, or on hay and grain. There is ano¬ 
ther important matter to be considered, however, and 
that is, is feeding entirely with grain, as conducive to the 
health of the animal, as a mixture of hay and grain. We 
do not believe it to be; and the general result of the expe¬ 
riments has been to show that it is not. Our own experi¬ 
ence too would lead us to speak decidedly upon this point. 
We have tried feeding horses upon grain alone, and upon 
grain and hay, and found the latter the best for the ani¬ 
mals. The}’- were not so shrunk up or gaunt, there was 
more muscle and consequently more weight, and what¬ 
ever may be thought of this latter quality in a race horse, 
where nothing but sinews and bones are required, every 
farmer knows that the road or farm horse is worth but 
little without weight. Feeding horses on grain alone, 
is like keeping a man on wheat bread solely; he will 
live for a time, but will finally sink under the experi¬ 
ment. In this case, the finer the flour the worse for the 
man. We have never had horses in better condition for 
labor, than when we have fed them with cut wheat straw, 
wet up in a tub with Indian corn meal. It is evident 
there must be some proportion between the bulk and the 
nutritive power of food, and grain alone gives too much 
nutritive matter for the bulk. Oats, perhaps, approach 
nearer the standard than any other grain; but the use of 
these alone, will in a long run be found unadvisable. 
One of the most carefully conducted experiments we 
have noticed, was the one made by Mr. Brotherton, near 
Liverpool; and he came to the conclusion that horses 
cannot be kept in a condition fit for work, if fed on grain 
alone. For nine years, Mr. Brotherton allowed eight hor¬ 
ses, three Winchester bushels of oats and one of beans, 
but no hay or chaff. During this period he annually lost 
more or less horses, which he attributed to the quantity 
of grain being greater than the stomach could digest. 
This induced him to adopt feeding hay with his grain in 
the following proportion:—To eight horses he allowed 
one bushel of oats, one bushel of beans, and three bush¬ 
els of cut hay, straw or clover; and he found them better 
able to do their work than before, and for several years 
after adopting the plan, lost but one horse from disease. 
Farmers, we are confident, have much to learn on the 
subject of feeding animals, and the health and good con¬ 
dition of the latter will, we doubt not, be found compati¬ 
ble with greater degrees of economy than has generally 
been practised. 
LETTER FROM FLORIDA. 
Extract of a letter from Geo. F. Baltzell, Esq. to 
the Editors of the Cultivator, dated Apalachicola, April 
18, 1843: 
“ A few days since, I visited an old friend who has lo¬ 
cated in the vicinity of my residence, for the purpose of 
gaining the advantages of a limited dairy, and raising 
vegetables for the market. The mildness of the climate, 
and the abundant and rich natural meadow on the low 
piney wastes, render it unnecessary for the farmer to 
house his provender or deal out scanty supplies daily; 
neither are expensive houses for the accommodation of 
the cows required. His labors are mainly directed to the 
culture of potatoes, melons, cucumbers, peas, beans, etc. 
My attention was arrested by some new things, which, 
however, may be familiar to you. Among others, a 
cabbage, the growth of two years, of the common vari¬ 
ety, standing some six feet high, maturing its seed, be¬ 
tween the leaves of which a wren had formed her nest. 
The date, pecan and tamarind, were growing finely, 
with little prospect, however, of arriving at maturity. 
He had found in the neighboring forest, an apple tree 
five or six years old, from which he cut branches appa¬ 
rently of two years growth, stuck them down equi-dis- 
tant from each other, without any preparation of soil or 
extraordinary care, and in a short time they put forth 
their foilage without a single failure. He showed me a 
peach tree that appeared to be of four years growth, with 
peaches of this season as large as a nutmeg, which he 
had transplanted without interrupting the growth of the 
tree or its fruit. 
“ In consequence of the spring being cold and wet, tfie 
planters have been retarded in their operations at least a 
month, and many have just planted. Should an early 
frost ensue, the coming crop of the staple will be very 
limited. The low price of cotton and the scarcity of 
money, compels the planter to turn his attention to his 
farm, and endeavor to make upon it that which a few 
years since was purchased from his neighbor. They are 
generally men of intelligence and will seek for the best 
information. Heretofore no attention has been paid to 
manures, rotation of crops, or to any of the various im¬ 
provements, old or new; the planter looking' solely to 
the result, without regard to the husbanding his resour¬ 
ces of any kind. The system adopted tended to impo¬ 
verish and render waste the land, while it should have 
been his pride to cultivate, embellish and improve.” 
SIR JOHN SINCLAIR’S OPINION ON CATTLE. 
The late Sir John Sinclair, it is well known, was one of 
the most distinguished Agriculturists of Europe, and few 
men’s opinions can be entitled to more respect or confi¬ 
dence. We recently found in an old Quebec paper, a 
letter from him, in answer to some inquiries made by the 
Lower Canada Agricultural Society, on the subject of 
cattle. We have thought that a condensed view of his 
replies to the several questions might interest the readers 
of the Cultivator. 
Query 1. “ What in your opinion is the most celebra¬ 
ted bered of milch cows in Great Britain?” 
To this Sir John answers, that “ the improved dairy 
cows in the western counties of Scotland are the most 
celebrated and valuable breed of milch cows in Great 
Britain or any other part of Europe.” ****** The 
Durham or Teeswater breed, are superior as dairy cows 
to any other breed in England, and if they were as well 
fed and treated as the Scots dairy stock, would equal them 
in beauty and good qualities.” He thinks the excellence 
of the Dutch cows is more depending on the richness of 
their pastures than on the breed, and says they have strong 
bones, coarse shapes, and do not yield so much milk in 
proportion to the size as the dairy cows in the west of 
Scotland. 
Query 2. “ What quantity of milk will a cow of such 
a breed give per day?” 
To this query Sir John, after giving some of the 
causes which will make cows of the same breed give 
different quantities of milk, says:—But without going 
into particulars, or mentioning extraordinary returns that 
some cows have made, it may be stated with entire con¬ 
fidence, that the fair average annual returns of milk given 
by thousands of the best Ayrshire dairy cows, when they 
are in good condition and well fed, and when they drop 
their calves about the end of the month of April, will be 
First 50 days. 
24 
quarts per day. 
1200 
Second 50 ” 
20 
33 
1000 
Third 50 ” 
14 
33 
700 
Fourth 50 ” 
. 8 
33 
400 
Fifth 50 ” 
8 
>3 
33 
400 
Sixth 50 ” 
6 
>3 
33 
300 
4000 
equally certain 
that 
14 or 15 quarts 
of that 
will generally yield 22 or 23 ounces of butter; and that 
from 110 to 120 quarts of that milk with its cream will 
yield 24 lbs. of full milk cheese.” 
Query 3. “ What would be the price of a cow of such 
a breed, from two to three years old, and in calf?” 
In answer Sir John states that the price of cows is 
very much depending on circumstances, such as scarcity 
of fodder, dry summer, time of the year, &c. Thus 
cows are 20 or 30 per cent, cheaper in Autumn than in 
May or June. “ Some milch cows of the best sort and 
in good condition, have been sold as high as £25; but 
young cows, from two to three years old, and in calf, may 
be procured of the best sort at foom £10 to £12 each, or 
still cheaper.’’ 
Query 4. “What would be the price of a bull of the 
same breed from 18 months to two j’ears old?” 
Sir John thinks no bull should be selected under two 
years old, as calves frequently alter their character and 
shape much in coming to maturity, and of consequence 
it is impossible to tell what a bull will be under the age 
of two years. “The dairy bulls that have most of the 
feminine aspect, are preferred to those who are more 
masculine. A dairy bull of good shape and qualities 
may be procured for about £14 or £15.” 
Query 5. “ What is the most celebrated breed of cows 
in Great Britain or elsewhere for the production of but¬ 
ter? ” 
“ The quantity of butter yielded by cows, deppds more 
on the food given them than on any peculiarit} of the 
breed of cattle; and the quality of the butter is greatly 
influenced by the manner of feeding, and still more so, 
by the manner in which the butter is manufactured.” 
Cows fed on clean sweet pastures, give more and richer 
milk, and make sweeter butter than those fed on roots, 
cabbages, &c. The Dutch butter is justly celebrated, but 
this, according to Sir John, is not owing to the breed of 
cows, but to the richness and sweetness of their pastures; 
and above all things to the great attention paid to clean¬ 
liness in every department of the Holland dairies, is the 
excellence of their butter to be ascribed. 
