GRAIN CROPS. 221 



but as the grain ripens, the thickness of the skin rapidly in- 

 creases, at the expense of the sugar and gum ; these, of course, 

 must diminish in a corresponding degree, and the quality of 

 the grain is of course injured ; and what is true of wheat, we 

 may readily suppose is the case with other grain. 



The remark is frequently made, that, to grow a good crop of 

 any grain, or root crop, the first work of importance is, good 

 work done with the plough. This, of course, is important ; still, 

 we believe another branch of farming, yet however in its 

 infancy, underlies it ; and that is, field drainage. 



The question comes, what lands need drainage ? Every ob- 

 serving, thoughtful, progressive farmer, however young, may 

 have noticed in his mowing fields what is known by the name 

 of hand pod, or five-finger, or fine meadow-grass, instead of 

 our own good old timothy or redtop. In fact, any of these 

 aquatic, water-loving grasses, indicates cold water at a short 

 distance below the surface. Finally, if we are suspicious of stag- 

 nant water near the surface, a pretty safe rule is to make a few 

 shafts in the field, three feet deep or so, and note the rise and 

 fall of water in the pools after a heavy rain or thaw, and in 

 case the water leaves the pools in a day or so, it is evidence 

 that the roots of plants will not be injured by stagnant water. 

 But if water remains in the pools a foot or two deep till late in 

 spring, or midsummer, rest assured the roots of plants will 

 suffer, unless the water be removed by underdraining ; and 

 what we mean by this is, a drain from three to three and a half 

 feet deep, and completely covered. Drains left uncovered are 

 nuisances ; although they draw off the water a few years, they 

 become filled up from the falling down of earth on either side 

 and other rubbish, and are again required to be cleaned out ; 

 otherwise they don't perform their office. Aside from this, 

 either side of the ditch becomes a complete harbor for weeds, 

 thistles and other rubbish, thus losing the use of a strip of land 

 at least half a rod wide the whole length of the drain. Another 

 kind of drain that answers very well for a few years is, to dump 

 the stone into the ditch at random, and level off the field. 

 This kind of drain was made by the writer some thirty years 

 ago, but in fifteen years became worthless, and has since been 

 relaid at about the same cost as at first ; so we infer that either 

 of the above methods are loose ways of farming. When drains 



