[f. prec.] trans. To plow so as to cut into the subsoil, use a subsoil plow upon.
1840. Trans. Yorkshire Agric. Soc., 47. In September, 1838, I subsoiled two fields of ten acres each.
1875. Alex. Smith, New Hist. Aberd., II. 1209. A considerable extent of the old tilly ground has been thorough drained, but not much of it subsoiled.
b. fig. or in fig. context.
1851. Thackeray, Engl. Hum., ii. (1900), 483. He had not worked crop after crop from his brain, manuring hastily, sub-soiling indifferently.
1878. T. L. Cuyler, Pointed Papers, 13. They subsoiled with the plough of Divine truth, which ripped to pieces self-righteousness and other secret sins.
Hence Subsoiled ppl. a., Subsoiling vbl. sb. (also fig. = working below the surface, getting deep down); Subsoiler, an instrument for loosening the subsoil, a subsoil plow.
1840. Trans. Yorkshire Agric. Soc., 48. One of these *subsoiled fields produced 35, and the other 271/2 bus. of wheat, per acre.
1852. C. W. Hoskyns, Talpa, 23. The drainage of my first field was soon accomplished:… deep enough … to allow Exall and Andrews’ *subsoiler to follow the cross-ploughing.
1868. Rep. U.S. Comm. Agric. (1869), 414. Land broken in October with a two-horse Brinley plow, followed by a sub-soiler.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., II. 171/2. The ‘subsoil trench plough’ … consists in the first place of a subsoiler or coulter of iron.
1840. Trans. Yorkshire Agric. Soc., 48. I do not attribute this great falling off, per acre, altogether to the parallel *subsoiling.
1868. Rep. U.S. Comm. Agric. (1869), 215. The yield of fruit is largely increased by draining, trenching, and subsoiling.
1872. in Sunday at Home (1881), Dec., 841/2. We have participated … in the subsoiling of English loyalty towards the Crown.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw., III. lxx. II. 555. Bosses begin the work of ‘subsoiling,’ i. e. manipulating primaries and local conventions so as to secure the choice of such delegates … as they desire.
