FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 119 



the air, which carries with it from distant bodies of water a great amount of 

 moisture, wliich is readily seen by the great amount of dew deposited during 

 a summer night. The porosity of tlie soil permits it to absorb and retain the 

 moisture thus received from the air, as a sponge retains water from a dish, and 

 as the parched rootlets extend their eager mouths in every direction their thirst 

 is quenched and they revel in the moisture and send up fresh supplies to the 

 branches above, invigorating the whole plant. Thus we see the double appli- 

 cation of underdrains renders them a guard not only against excessive damp- 

 ness, but also a great protection against excessive drouth. 



I have in my mind an old and experienced farmer whose opinion is held in 

 esteem by his neighbors, who will not cultivate his corn in times of great 

 drouth, on the theory that the damp earth being turned up by the cultivator 

 is exposed to the sun and so dried and deprived of what little moisture there is 

 in the soil. I do not set lightly aside the experience of many years, but I do 

 think this man greatly in error. The last summer was, as you all know, one 

 of great dryness. I cultivated my corn as often as it was possible, and in the 

 fall this man had occasion to come to my field, and he made the remark, 

 ''How nice your corn looks; why, you have a good crop here !" I said noth- 

 ing, for he knows my views already. My corn was barely a half crop, but still 

 I think much better than it would have been without cultivation. Deep cul- 

 tivation on heavy clay soils may do a great deal in this direction and have 

 in some instances the same effect, but there come many times when the deep- 

 est cultivation is not sufficient. If such soils were cultivated to the depth of 

 1-^ or 2 feet (which I have never seen), and the soil left mellow over the 

 entire surface to that depth, it would require an immense amount of rain to 

 saturate it, but even then, when the snow went off in the spring, or at any time 

 when they became saturated, the excess of moisture would have to be evapora- 

 ted from the surface, which is a slow operation and would require several weeks 

 and put the farmer so much behind time in his operations upon it. Even if the 

 soil were cultivated to this depth there would be a gain of several weeks' time 

 every spring by draining it, which gain is no small advantage to the tiller. 

 Furtliermore, the owner of such land while waiting for his ground to be- 

 come dry becomes anxious to see his crops growing, and many times before it 

 is dry enough he begins work upon it, and puts the seed for various crops into 

 cold, clammy clay where it will not readily germinate and some of it will die 

 and decay, while the remainder will put forth very feeble yellowish green 

 shoots. If, again, later in the season we glance over his field, we shall see a 

 thin spindling crop, anything but profitable and satisfactory to the farmer, 

 anything but encouraging to future exertions. On well drained fields work 

 can be commence early in the season, the seed can be sown in warm mellow 

 soil, germination immediately takes place and is followed by a strong, vigorous 

 growth, which almost always insures a bountiful harvest. 



By walking over the ground in the spring through which drains have been 

 cut, I have been surprised by the difference in the feeling and appearance of 

 the soil. When approaching a drain if the ground be plowed, you can notice 

 instead of the hard solid feeling to your foot as you step upon it, that it begins 

 to feel more loose and mellow, and that when the lumps have been left stick- 

 ing up in plowing they assume a grayer or lighter appearance than the harder 

 heavier ones near by. Later in the season when the hot drying rays of the 

 summer sun have beaten upon it for a time near the drain, it will have the 

 same mellow feeling as in the spring, while the_uadrained parts will feel harsh 

 and crusty and full of hard lumps. 



