Show iKOUM SUBSOIMNG SECOND ONLY IN IMPORTANCE TO IIIHIOATION Ili llrnrnls of ftabinlllnB a t lot rorlh l > r Ih eusprtenee or to sneer t to Irnitllnr nIl reea Narsirlri their > Ullmll of Operation A Plain Itlslrmnl from the c omentnr m al of Csperluents 111101 Years Ae lluni or Bnbolllr In answer to numerous Inquiries In regard to our method of subralllng wo twill t-will to present a plain state I j moL from the commencement of our experiments conducted 1 during the past eight year at Oeneva Nebraska In thin spring of des wo commenced on I our nursery ground to prepare the I ground for planting In Ilia ordinary manner WI plowed Hie ground about eight Inches deep and planted our nursery nur-sery stock among which was a quantity quanti-ty of seedling which were dug the came fall In order to get the proper length of root to successfully tram plant the seedlings became necessary I 10 get under them much deeper than the ground had been plowed which was nccompllihed by using a aeedllng digger net to rnn nearly alitccu Inches deep It required l six 1 horses to do this work and LIe gmund nan stirred up an It had never been before The next Tt season thli Hold sins planted to earn and the yield was warty 70 bushels per acre whlla laud plowed In the ordl r II 1 r t R niry stay yielded only 35 buhols I This led ua to experiment In preparing Ice toll our motto being Dow deep and thoroughly prepare tho toll before planting Ifaeli succeeding yeas gone in good 111r results t y deep stirring though wu did cot attain the full measure nf suecc + In our experiments until aro began to vise a plow to subsoil the entire ground In the full of IDill 0s o purchased n Manes subsoil plow with which wo succeeded 1 In geltllng down to Im depth of sixteen six-teen Inches below the surface Our method Is to llrit plow eight Inches deep with nn onllnury I liuli stirring plow uhloli Is followed by the subsoil plow running tho same furrow loosening loos-ening tho will to the depth of eight Inches more but not throwing It to Clue surface 1 Ills gives us n reservoir sixteen N II f h Arll cl r teen Inches In depth to catch and retain re-tain nil the moisture that falls and we are convinced that during tho twenty three years wo have resided Ilinore county there has never been n season when the rain fall Has not sufllclcnt to nil this reservoir with water before the growing season commenced We hI ben naked the following I questions by correspondents IlWhen do you sulsoll fall or spring A1l o have subiolted both spring and fall with equally good results IJIIOIY many horses do you into AWe usa three horses on each plow though two good horses will do Ike worlc 1lWhDL lclnd 1 of a plow 10 you usa A 1 ho Mapes subsoil plow manufactured manu-factured by liver t Co Moline ilL Cost of plow 11400 3W hat Is the nature of jour soil Alice unalysrs of the loll 1 I and letter let-ter of Irof hltncynpprndcd hereto < i Is your land upland or bottom = r t r II Lr i AIt is upland prairie l the depth to water iceing lit foot QWhat j Is time OL per aero of plowing by jour method A the sulsoll plow Is I drawn by a separata team and follow In the ulna furrow behind tho stirring plow It simply amounts to one extra plowIng plow-Ing IlWhllt Is your method of cultivation cultiva-tion tionA Our method Is I first to harrow each esenlug all the land plowed during dur-ing tho cloy This breaks up tho clods before they become hardened and pro tents limo will from drying Uy wan ff I nratlniL llefora planting wo again harniw mid pulvcruu the surface with n foist We are thin ready for planting plant-ing I ingIf wo plant to small grain wo drill east and steal leuvin the surface just as Ohio drill I leaves It An tho pro ailing ail-ing winds I are from the north and south the surface Icing rondo rough mil and west helps to protect tho grain and prevent pre-vent blowing out If r e plant to corn our method Is to plant I about thrto I or four Inches deep follow the planter with the harrow aud glvu surface cultivation running run-ning the cultivator teeth just deip enough to destroy the I nerds and breakup break-up I the nurture of the soil It o endeavor his cultivate the corn just ns soon otter cacti rain us lido condition of tho cround will I permit If thin rain I bo a Iutf stllI heavy one and the soil Is firmly packed It Is I of true utmost Importance that the crust le bioken na san as poulbla In order to retain the moisture In tho soil the loose surface soil stung as a mulch to prevent evaporation During the past exceedingly dry reason rea-son our miner stock particular ono field containing 000000 apple trees was cultivated once a vvuek Me used a spring tooth cultivator merely stirring thumb surfiue and as a result of this method of cultivation there was no time during Iho entire season when time earth would llIot ball In the hand under slight pressure at n depth of three Inches below tIme surface This condition condi-tion was brought about by having a deep subsoil reservoir to store up the surplus moisture which fell I during the early I art of tho season and retained I by frequently stirring the surface to prevent evaporation lle Ihlll that It 1 Is I not necetsar to sulsoll each season but that once In three I years will answer all practical purposes If a field la I subsoflid and planted corn the first or first ami second year then followed aatli wheat 1 or oats tho results will bu satisfactory satis-factory though iv light falling oft will bi > noticed hum the third crop after ubsolling II or Instance A Held That was subsolled In tho fall of 18J1 nnd cropped 1 to corn seasons of 03 and W urns planted ato oats In the snrlng of til and produced a yield of 3JU buthcltpcracrt while on another nortlon of tho same field which had Ken subsolled In tho fall of IU and raised u crop of corn the season of 1U I the u yield of oats wos H H bushels pur showing a difference of 1 bushel t acme acre In favor alibI land which had ner raised but one crop since subsolllng Now wo will compare the results on land seta men farm not subsolled Laud subsoil plowed In I the fall of IbJJ and I plante to earn In lima fall flJ3 yielded 7 v Inishrls pr nrre while corDon corD-on land not subftolled but otherwise treated In Identically Ibo name manner Yielded but 31 Imshels per acre and imbsolled sad I planted topatato slu the spring 01 I + IJ yielded lull bushels per acre while the ptiUtii crop on land not le If 11r subsotled was practically a failure This season I lull the yield of pnlatoe = II lt onsnbanllMl land nu9 bushels per acre The polCtoes were planted on the Isth nf May sad I I1IllIno we bad the last heavy ruin of Ibo season Prom June 24 to August lona had 41o100J 1 Inch nf rainfall less linn S hock In fifty four days sad I still we raised a fair crop of iwlatoeft Itye on sulrtolle 1 f ir3 1 1 el land yielded 30 H bushels per acre on land not tubsollcd u bunhcl Oat own on land which hail raluil 1 one crop of corn since subsoillng jlclile1 43S buthelsper acre on land which had raised two crop of corn since sub 01ll01t3us buihels per acre on land not subsolled 17 buthcl + per acre The corn on lubsoiltd land this tea son nil by nn error planted too thick lime planter had been used to drill corn for fodder and when we commenced to plant the field corn the plates were not changed T his error caused + the lou I of a corn crop this season there being as many as five to soven istalks In each hill The corn stood the drouth and hot winds without I Injury to the tassels and wherever by accident iLI was thinned thin-ned out time ear were well filled nnd matured and lYe have not the slightest doubt but that with proper planting and good cultlraili we can raise a crop of corn with nu more moisture than we had this seawn of 1891 I Just north of this Held of sul soiled corn wo hnd n piece of corn on land t flllrat rat tllc not subwlled The two pieces were planted from the same seed on the name day with time name planter and received exactly true samo after cultivation cultiva-tion thero being nothing but n driveway drive-way between the two pieces The difference dif-ference In these two Holds was very marked Tho corn on aubsollcd land made n vigorous healthy growth the stalks niece large and tall there was an abundance of pollen up until the fifteenth of August notwithstanding the fact of Its having been entirely en-tirely too thlclc lcldcda little over 11 bushels of houn 1 corn per acre On the land nut luUollvd the stalks were not morn than twothirds as tall were much smaller In diameter the tassels were complete withered by the hot winds of July Js and thero was not n peck nf corn on the entire field We convinced from those facts that If there in I a fair amount of itiolstura In thin mil hot winds nre not ncccsvtrlly fatal to a crop of cxmi Ono of our neighbors Mr J 1L Heath living a short distance from de nova succeeded railing Clue best Held of corn In this neighborhood Ills method Is I to use a lister with n subsoil attachment lie runs the hater ten Inches deep the subsoil attachment loosening 1 1 the coil three or four Inches below that llo believe In thorough cultivation and this season his corn averaged 30 bushels her acre WI append both the chemical and mechanical nnslslsof the soil together togeth-er with u letter from lion J Sterling Morton also weather I report from tho government station at thl point I 1I011oIfullr lovanlaur tmCdt ITA OK stem TAUV UOIITOX Uiiiin hritKn Dri AiiruriT or Au mcUTtnr Ornti or TIM SCCIIITAIU jtsiilnTOV U a Aug 14 18JI lion A J Sawyer Incoln NIIIAr Mr This department recently received from the linn of oungcr t lu Uene va Nub a hamplo of the surface soil and ollorllOnlll aubsoll which Is IUf card 10 relnrM a IIIIII II1110uM uf null in that scales of Nebraska fha I ample ncru subjected 10 mechanical tnni sis in lido uivi iuiia of nunvuiiiirni oils The result of this analysis are 10 exceedingly I Interesting that I beg to call I jor attention to them and to Off on to present them to the Irrigation contention about to assemble In your state nt Lincoln I I enclose you heron Ith a cop of tho division of agricultural soils and also a tabulated statement of tho analysts accompanied by specimens of the dlf rent Ingredients contained In limo sjniplin arranged so as to mike an In terestluu object hewn of Oho rcault Kxpericnco has shown that this coil I + very rofrcLory and cry lItll cult 10 Improve III dry ellu It produces nirnosi nothing it has aim been ascertained by experience that this sol Is I greatly bencllttcd by subsolllng nnd thorough cultivation The quotlon to be answered ly the aunlyais was therefore Does time subsoil sub-soil contain anything which enriches the surface soil when It Is I brought up or Is I the Improvement resulting from soiling eultlvatlou duo entlrety to Ihe looscuingnf tho Kill I limo un alyslH shows that Ibo latter Is thou true plaimtlon XIIl tin I mlcal I anal sis of the ramplcs I being nnde and will bu reported to yoL later but Minlclcut I has been done I In show that tliore has been no consld ruble amount of lime or other elieml ml 1 folllr the submit to explain the favorable results I of subsolllng These favorable results must therefore there-fore b wholly duo to thu loosening and opening up of nn otherwise Impervious Imper-vious toll flits soil and subsoil are both com posed almost wholy of very tine bund Hilt and clay There Is I also a liirne nmount of organic matter containing considerable nitrogen Cultivated In tho ordinary manner a soil of this diameter remains Impervious to water and air and therefore very subject to drouth and although I contains many elcuuntsnf fertility those cannot become be-come readily avallabla i riiii Mir IIUM > II Tho practical suggitllon which 1 1 n Ish to submit to our friends Is Why not subsoil and cultivate more thorough thor-ough Instead of digging ditches let us first try subsolllng us A means uf I catching and holding the water that nature supplies us on tho spot The success thai MessiH Younger t Co have attained by tuosotllng their land as now explained by this mechan ical analysis suggests that tills is time possible solution of the question that IHlblo tho Irrigation convention tailed upon to solve My proposition therefore Is i InMiad of digging ditches subsoil l ani cultivate thoroughly I remain with warm personal regards re-gards and best wishes for the success of the convention of Irrlgattonlsta at Lincoln very truly ours J biKiunu MOHTOV Secretary ClirUICAI A1AIY8I9 Usimi BrATra DEI AiiTHrtr or Ao I MCI tii t Dnmos or CuLuicmr I U AsniiiiTOt J I C tncuO lent I lion I has U Inl I her jr snlstant S MTfUry dir I sntmii herewith the t fterl ankiy is of tliu samples of lh lr io 1 I f soil and subsoil from Younger t Co 4lenevn Neb transmitted by you to this division for examination I The analyses show a remarkable similarity sim-ilarity between the tno soils Indleal 1 Ing boat the subsoil II Is pro tleally as rich In plant food asthasoll Itself The soil In Us constitution is I remarkably similar to the typical blue grace soils of I 1 Kentucky Its great fcrill ty depend i largely upon the high content of pot 1 hymns ash which It holds and on Its content of i There la I no basis for the Idea which I + entertained 1 dy limo owner of the sol I that the subwll I + of n marry na I tare hal itcontalnaratheralot I percentage percent-age of lime earbonate Its fertilizing value as Indicated above and which has been 1 noticed by the people In the Tlclnlly depends upon the abundance of the plant food elements already mentioned lieipcctfnllr ll IIKT I Chlof of Division |