146 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
mould; and that the application of vegetable manures 
to crops in a growing state is often as efficacious as 
when applied, or plowed in, with the seed.” 
Mr. Colman states that he does not undervalue scien¬ 
tific agriculture. “ Science,” he says, may do as much 
for agriculture as for any other department of business, 
or art, or health, or comfort, or enjoyment.” But for 
the present he thinks “ the practice of agriculture is 
very much in advance of the theory of agriculture.” 
Mr. Colman pays the “English character” a 
handsome tribute. He states, as a conclusion resulting 
from close observation, that “they are an upright peo¬ 
ple”—that in general, “their habits, like their plow¬ 
ing, are direct and straight forward, and are opposed to 
all baulks and all tortuous windings. I thank God,” 
says he, “that the blood of such a people flows in my 
veins, for I look upon honesty as the true nobility of 
man, and the only aristocracy to which my heart burns 
to pay its spontaneous and unclaimed homage.” 
A large portion of this number is devoted to the sub¬ 
ject of plowing. The perfection of plowing, he says, 
consists in its being done “ exactly as you w r ish or re¬ 
quire to have it done.” He speaks in the highest terms 
of the excellence of English plowing, which he states, is 
done in all particulars, “ exactly according to a pre¬ 
scribed form”—-as perfect, he declares, “as a ruffle 
just come from under the crimping iron.” 
He describes particularly a plowing match at Saffron 
Walden. The furrow slices were required to be seven 
inches in width, and five' inches in depth. It was not a 
match against time, but the work was to be executed 
within a certain time. Such was the exactness with 
which the work was performed, that he feels confident 
there was not in the whole field “the variation of an 
inch in the width or depth of the furrow, or a single 
crooked line, or even one solitary baulk. Two horses 
only were used to a plow, and each plowman was his 
own driver. “I went over the the field,” says Mr. C., 
in an extacy of admiration at its uniformity, neatness, 
exactness and beauty.” From Mr. Colmaivs account, 
the skill of the English plowmen would seem to be com¬ 
plete. Finishing the last furrow of a land in a proper 
manner, is known to be no easy matter. Mr. C. thus 
describes the manner in which this was performed by one 
of the competitors at the plowing match mentioned. “In 
the case to which I have referred, the last land remained 
at the close, a single unbroken strip, of equal width, from 
one end of the field to the other, lying like a stretched out 
ribbon, which, as the plowman came down the course, 
he turned without breaking, and with perfect precision, 
from one end to the other. In this instance, the horses 
seemed almost as well trained as the driver, and in¬ 
spired with an equal emulation.” It is observed that 
“two circumstances contribute strongly to this perfec¬ 
tion of English plowing'. The first is that boys are 
trained to it as early as they can possibly be employed 
with safety. The second is the division of labor, which 
generally prevails, so that individuals devote them¬ 
selves, to a degree exclusively, to one particular ob¬ 
ject.” 
In relation to “ General rules for Plowing,” 
we are informed that “the depth of plowing varies in 
different soils and for different purposes. The average 
depth may be considered as five inches, but no direction 
on this subject will be found universally applicable. 
Three of the most eminent practical farmers with whom 
I am acquainted here, plow not more than three inches; 
but the surface mould, in these cases, is very thin, and 
the under stratum is a cold, clammy chalk.” Mr. Col¬ 
man observes, in reference to these, and some other ex¬ 
amples where’even shallower plowing had been prac¬ 
ticed, that “they are well worth considering. I do not 
understand,” he says, “that these practices at all mili¬ 
tate against the advantages to be obtained from subsoil¬ 
ing. In cases where subsoiling and thorough draining 
are not applied, this shallow plowing may be preferred, 
as the mingling of the cold and inert subsoil with so 
thin a surface of vegetable mould, would doubtless be 
prejudicial, at least for a length of time.” 
But, says Mr. Colman, the general rule in England, 
“ when the soil admits of it, and manure is abundant, is 
May 
that of rather deep plowing—five or six inches is the 
average; in many’ cases much more than this. The 
loam, or vegetable mould, is without question, the 
great source or medium of nourishment to the plants. 
Be it more or less deep, it is always safe to go to the 
bottom of this, and by gradually loosening a portion of 
the subsoil, or lower stratum, and incorporating it with 
the mould, and rendering it accessible to the air and 
light, it acquires the nature of mould, and the whole 
arable surface is enriched.” 
As to the manner of turning the furrow-slice, we are 
informed that two modes are adopted—“the one to lay 
the furrow-slice entirely flat, shutting its edge exactly 
in by the edge of its neighbor; the other to lay it at an 
inclination of 45 degrees, lapping the one upon the 
other.” Mr. Colman thinks the former mode, “ where 
land is to be sown with grass-seed, and as the phrase is 
with us, laid down, is, undoubtedly, to be preferred,” 
and he is inclined to the opinion that this mode is pre¬ 
ferable in the United Spates for any grain crop; but he 
I adds, (what is evidently important,) that the higher 
temperature which prevails in the United States may 
; be expected sooner to decompose the vegetable mat- 
ter thus pressed down, “and thus sooner furnish a 
! pabulum for the growing plants, than in a climate 
where, in a much lower and more even temperature, 
the decomposition cannot be expected to take place so 
rapidly.” He states, however, that the mode of turn 
ing the furrow-slice at an angle of 45 degrees, which 
evidently leaves the ground more loose, and exposes a 
| larger portion of it to the air, is generally preferred in 
j England. He describes this mode:—“ To avoid having 
any of the grass protrude itself between the furrow-sli¬ 
ces, they have here, what I have never seen in the Uni¬ 
ted States, [we have seen it here, in the hands of one 
| or two Englishmen,] a skim colter, that is a miniature 
plow-share, or blade, placed under the beam, and so 
adjusted as to cut an edge from the furrow-slice as it 
is turned over; this piece so cut off, at once dropping 
down, and being buried under the furrow-slice as it goe3 
over. The consequence is that there is no grass on the 
edge of the furrow-slice to show itself, and great neat¬ 
ness is therefore given to the whole work.” He de¬ 
scribes another mode of plowing which he has some- . 
times seen practiced, “ by which the furrow-slice is not 
merely lifted, but may be said to be rolled over, or 
twisted in a sort of bag fashion.” This was thought to 
be “ principally owing to the form of the mould-board, 
for no workman could have done it with a straight or 
convex form of mould-board. It would seem to render 
the soil more friable and loose; but every departure 
from a straight line, or wedge form of the mould- 
board, evidently must increase the drought.” 
Mr. Colman remarks that—“ the great object of the 
English farmers, in plowing, seems to be the thorough 
pulverization of the soil.” It seems reasonable that 
this should be the primary object every where. They 
plow and scarify and harrow their lands repeated¬ 
ly. The propriety of the practice of breaking and tear¬ 
ing out the turf, bringing the grass and roots to the sur¬ 
face, that they may be raked up and burned or carried 
away, Mr. C. deems quite questionable. It may, he 
admits, be a good mode of getting rid of the couch, or 
twitch grass, (Friticum repens ,) which in many instan¬ 
ces is exceedingly troublesome; “ but ” he says “ where 
it is a mere clover ley, or an old grass pasture or mea¬ 
dow, the taking out or removing the vegetable matter 
seems to be a serious waste.” 
The advantages of subsoil plowing, Mr. Colman 
thinks are very considerable. Its advantages over very 
deep plowing with a plow of common construction, are 
that in the one case the cold and inert soil is brought to 
the surface, <c in a condition unsuited to the purposes of 
vegetation, and that much time and expense are lost be¬ 
fore it can be restored to fertility;” but in the other 
case, the substratum is gradually brought to intermin¬ 
gle with the top soil, and cultivation is not interrupted, 
but rather benefited by the intermixture. (i Another 
and very great advantage derived from subsoiling,” says 
Mr. C., “ is in the admission of air and heat to the 
loosened soil, by which it is improved, and better sub 
