128 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



three dollars an acre, and that of fertilizing it to an equal de 

 gree, in the usual way, by farm-yard manure, at fifteen dollars. 

 Considering that the expense of conveyance and distribution 

 of solid manure is much greater in America than in England, 

 these figures will not be thought to be without personal interest 

 to us. 



The use of manure-drainings and the urine of the cattle of 

 a farm, very much diluted with spring water, has been found 

 to have such astonishing immediate effects, when distributed 

 over young herbage, that several English agricultural pioneers 

 are making extensive and costly permanent arrangements for 

 its distribution, from their stables, over large surfaces. It is 

 first collected in tanks, where it is retained until putrefied, and 

 mixed with the water of irrigation. This is then driven by 

 forcing-pumps into the pipes which convey it, so that it can be 

 distributed (in one case, over one hundred and seventy acres.) 

 The pipes are hard-burnt clay tubes, an inch thick, joined with 

 cement, costing here about twelve and a-half cents a-yard. 

 The pipe is laid under ground, and at convenient intervals 

 there are heads coming to the surface with stop-cocks, where 

 a hose can be attached and the water further guided in any 

 direction. For greater distances, a cart like those used for 

 sprinkling the dusty streets of our cities is used. It is con 

 jectured by some that, eventually, all manure will be fur 

 nished to land in a state of solution. 



I believe irrigation is only used for the benefit of grass 

 lands in England ; but it probably might be found of great 

 advantage to some other valuable crops. I have seen large 

 fields of roots, apparently of the character of turnips, irrigated 

 in China, and it is well known that rice is every where flooded 

 in tropical countries. I suspect that irrigation, and even that- 

 expensive form of it that I have last described, might be 

 profitably used, for certain plants, by our market-gardeners ; 



