SECRETARY'S REPORT. 93 



Tile — tWo inches calieiii2. 



88 



la conclusion wc would represent that tlie concurrent tcsti' 

 mony of all, in this country and Europe, who have tried this 

 system of draining, proves that the following benefits are ob- 

 tained : It obviates the bad effects of drought, because the roots 

 of plants and trees can descend more deeply for nutriment and 

 moisture ; by removing excess of water, it renders soils earlier 

 in spring, and allows work to be done sooner after rains ; it 

 averts the effects of cold weather later in autumn ; it prevents 

 the heaving of grass and grain in winter, and the frost from 

 penetrating so deeply; it enables us to deepen the surface soil; 

 it accelerates the disintegration of the mineral matters In the 

 soil, and improves its mechanical condition by promoting the 

 finer comminution of the earthy particles j it hastens the decay 

 of roots and other vegetable matter : it allows the fertilizing: 

 gases of the atmosphere and the water from rains to percolate 

 deeply and be deposited among the absorbent parts of the soil 

 until the necessities of plants require them ; it causes a more 

 even distribution of nutritious matters among those parts of 

 soil traversed by roots ; by removing stagnant water, it pre- 

 vents the cooling process of evaporation, and the abstraction of 

 heat; it contributes to the warmth of the lower portions of the 

 soil; it prevents meadows from becoming impoverished; it 

 causes the poisonous escreraentitious matter of plants to bo 

 carried out of the reach of their roots ; it prevents the forma- 

 tion of acetic and other organic acids, which favor the produc- 

 tion of sorrel and other noxious weeds, and it makes the surface 



soil of heavy lands light, and free from incrustation. 



From the preceding facts, your committee are fully of the 



opinion, that this system of under ground draining'^ would be of 



