AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 295 



'SMployment to the laboring population, increasing the quantity and re- 

 ducing the price of food, raising the value of land by lessening the expense 

 of labor, increasing the number of cattle, which will multiply the substan- 

 tial manures, besides ameliorating the climate, as has been proved, and 

 bringing cereal crops to early maturity. 



My gardens have been very deeply drained with stone, and though a 

 high sandy loam, with uniform beneficial results ; and, notwithstanding 

 they necessarily contain many trees and plants, not annuals, no obstruc- 

 tions have occurred during eighteen years from the roots of trees, or bien- 

 nials, besides their forwardness, early productiveness, and perfection of 

 crops, have been greatly increased. Fruit trees and grape vines that were 

 previously entirely baiTen, became great fruit bearers, and not only so, 

 but the elevated temperature caused them to ripen their fruit two weeks 

 •earlier than the same varieties not so favorably circumstanced, 



I have applied drainage to wood lands, and thus produced a most vigor- 

 ous growth, but find very old decaying trees are immediately destroyed by 

 it, when sound trees are wonderfully improved, no matter what their age 

 may be, or whether they stand alone, or in clumps. But young plantations 

 thrive astonishingly, and the contrast between a drained and undrained 

 orchard would be remarked by the most casual observer, the one being vig- 

 orous in growth, healthy in the bark, and free from moss ; the other pre- 

 cisely the reverse. Nearly all the old orchards in the United States may 

 foe classed with the latter, — not one in a hundred of which has probably 

 ever be<3n drained, and the consequence is their present forlorn appearance, 

 and rapid advancement towards destruction. I hazard the opinion, that in 

 a few short years, that noble fruit will be very scarce in our country, and 

 all through the neglect of proper drainage. And if my experiments prove 

 true, that drainage quickly destroys old and decaying trees, it is too late 

 with many of them to adopt this mode of renovation ; but I would strenu- 

 ously urge all those, who are so fortunate as to have thriving old orchards, 

 to lose no time in constructing deep stone undcrdrains between each, or 

 every other row of trees, according to the nature of the soil. And here, 

 they will find an immense advantage in stone over every other substance, 

 from the fact that they will if proper precautions are taken in tlieir arrange- 

 ment, not only dry the ground, and elevate the temperature, but what is 

 next in importance aerate the roots, so that the atmosphere, which is always 

 laden with moisture, and the gases essential to thi ir existence may freely 

 find them. When water falls on undrained land it runs off rapidly, but if 

 drained, it trickles along the surface short distances, absorbs gaseous mat- 

 ters, and then penetrates the ground, conveying them immediately to the 

 roots of trees and into their circulation, thus ministering to their nourish- 

 ment and growth. E,ain water in falling to the earth washes the atmos- 

 phere of the solid matter that had previously risen into it in the form of 

 vapor, and as it passes into well drained ground dissolves other solid sub- 

 stances, which are conveyed in a liquid form to the roots of plants, and 

 ascend with the sap through the stalks- 



