COMI^ATINC DltOUTH. 245 



belonj^s lo the tree:^. They are as careful of their water as we are of 

 the apple of our eye. They raise peaa there for Northrup, Braslan 

 Al- Co. Thej' can ^et them in the ground very early. The pea is very 

 hard}', and the}' can put them in the j^roiind when it is very moist, 

 and they come to maturity before the ground is dry, and at the time 

 they are ripenin<;- there is no moisture on the surface, and the peas 

 are the finest and best raised anywhere in the world. They are not 

 troubled with mildew. That is why Northrup, Hraslan iV Co. send 

 out there for their seed peas. The principal point is then that we 

 must be careful in this countr}-, where drouth is our <^reat enemy, 

 drouth in August and September and the latter part of the season, 

 we must be careful not to allow anything to grow with our trees that 

 will steal the moisture that the trees demand. This is the great lesson 

 I learned in the region along the valley of the Colutnbia river- 

 (Applause). 



Pres. Underwood: I think this is a very valuable lesson to 

 us who have orchards. I want to say that the largest and best or- 

 chard we have in the state of Minnesota is just perishing for lack 

 of that kind of cultivation Prof. Pendergast has told us about. It 

 stands there with a mound of earth around each tree, all grown 

 up to sod, in a condition in which drouth would be the most 

 damaging, and I believe if that orchard is not taken care of it 

 is a question of a short time only when there will be no 

 orchard there at*all. It seems to me if the owner of that 

 orchard could hear Prof. Pendergast talk as he has talked to 

 us today, he would not allow any time to elapse before ho would 

 put that orchard in such a condition as has just been spoken of 

 here. 



Use Tile Drains. — Thorough draining with tile will often cost as 

 much as the present worth of the land, but when the work is once 

 properly done, it is done forever. The station fields which have 

 been tile drained have increased their annual yield fully fifty per 

 cent as a result of the work, and such drains will be found a profit- 

 able investment on all soils which remain wet until late in the spring 

 on account of their comi)act subsoil or which are rendered heavy 

 and "sour" by continued seepage from surrounding hills. — Missis- 

 sippi Experiment Station. 



How A Good Road Saves Mo.nev.— An officer of the New Jersey 

 Agricultural Society used to draw manure with four horses from 

 Philadelphia to his farm, seventeen miles away. A new road was 

 built half way; two horses drew the same load to the end of it; then 

 he had to send a man and team down to bring it the rest of the way. 

 Finally the road was completed the whole waj'. One man and team 

 do more work now than two men and two four-horse teams did 

 before. He saved $12<J on hauling his manure the first year. The 

 road didn't cost him $20. Other farmers, instead of '.iO baskets of 

 potatoes which used to be a load, now carry VK). 



