Drainage ix New York. 



233 



the soil -moisture and drainage water become readily apparent and ex- 

 tremes of wetness and drought alternate frequently. 



Here comes in the second distinction between nature's method and 

 that of man in utilizing land. He wishes to grow a particular crop and 

 will plant it in a variety of soil including land of a naturally wet condition. 

 This condition he may ameliorate to a greater or less degree by various 

 cultural practices. Nature, on the other hand, accepts the natural condi- 

 tion of the soil, whether it be wet or dry, coarse or fine, loose or dense, and 

 by a process of selection and association, develops on such land the vegeta- 

 tion adapted to growth in such a situation. 



The farmer must adopt nature's methods of crop production to a degree, 

 but he may go farther and improve on them in certain directions. He 

 adapts his crops to the soil, but he also attempts to modify the soil to 

 meet the needs of the crop he desires to produce. He does this by 

 drainage, tillage and the use of manures and fertilizers. 



Clay soil badiy in need 0; tiic arauung. Xeii) York. 



This is the proper order in which always to think of these operations — 

 drainage, tillage and manures • — because good tillage can never be prac- 

 ticed unless the land is well drained and fertilizers and manures are of 

 little or no value without good tillage. This is especially true for fine 

 textured soils. Most of the desirable conditions of the soil, which result 

 from tillage, are only obtained in well drained soil and in poorly drained 

 soil, these are more likely to render the bad conditions more acute. In 

 farm practice, a very large amount of energy and money is wasted on 

 tillage and manures because of the failure to recognize this fundamental 

 fact — • that the soil must first be thoroughly drained. 



A clear conception of the necessity for drainage involves an under- 

 standing of the necessary conditions for the growth of plants and the 

 effects of the various tillage operations. Practically all farm crops have 

 the same general requirements for growth. They differ only in the char- 



