56 THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 



might reap from the transaction. Mr. Lewis was particularly warm 

 in his expressions of regard, and referring to matters embraced in 

 the letter he said : 



" ' We all know that it is possible to increase crops four-fold by 

 irrigation, taking as the standard the average yields on lands that 

 are subject to extremes of drought and wet, and our clay lands are 

 nearly all of this character. I have seen an illustration on my own 

 land of the principle embraced in Mr. Cole's system where a ridge 

 held an accumulation of water from rains until it could slowly pass 

 through and furnish moisture for plants growing below. Their 

 growth was two or three times as great as on other portions of the 

 field of like character where moisture was not provided at the right 

 time. If we can, by any system, hold back the surplus water that 

 comes from rains and snows, water that usually runs over the 

 surface to the nearest creek or river and let it out just at the time 

 when the plants need it, I am confident that we can reap harvests 

 uniform in excellence and always full. The question to be consid- 

 * ered is can we afford to inaugurate the system and carry it to 

 completion when its cost will add greatly to the investment, mak- 

 ing the farm cost, let us say, twice as much as before the improve- 

 ment ? I think the expense may be afforded with proper manage- 

 ment, and that its gradual improvement, so that a piece of land 

 treated by this system may give profits to be applied to the im- 

 provement of more land. If we were required to treat our hillsides 

 in the way proposed all at once, there is not money enough in this 

 county to effect the improvement, but with a very small part of the 

 money that would be required to do the whole work we can begin 

 and then use the profits to carry forward the work. I believe the 

 time is coming, and is not far distant, when the face of the earth 

 will be changed and a new agriculture, more profitable than ours, 

 will be open to every farmer. I believe the ingenuity of man will 



