164 THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 



"Wellsville, that I was invited in company with the Hon. T. L. Min- 

 ier, Hon. S. L. Taber, Hon. John H. Selkreg and others, to dine 

 with you at your home on the hillside. At your table, we were 

 much astonished to see the most delicious fresh peas just picked 

 from the vines, and the finest strawberries that all acknowledged 

 ever having seen. The question was asked : 



" "Where do you get such fine peas ? " Your answer was : " they 

 were picked from my own garden." 



"Where do you get such berries?" 



" They are also picked from my own garden." 



" Come now, Mr. Cole, that will never do," I said, " I was raised 

 in Allegany County. This is too early in the season for either 

 peas or strawberries. Besides, Allegany never produced such peas 

 and berries as these." 



Tour reply was, that this was the fruit of your system of under- 

 ground irrigation. You then explained to us your system of 

 sinking troughs in the ground, and taking up the water as it fell, 

 and holding it back, to supply moisture to vegetation as it was 

 required. This was entirely a new feature to us all, and after 

 dinner, we repaired to your garden, a lot on the. hillside, where 

 you explained to us your system in detail. The more I examined, 

 the more I was astonished to find every bush, twig, stalk, tree and 

 fruit perfectly clean and healthy. No rust or fungi of any kind 

 whatsoever was to be found. You showed us a stream of water 

 coming from the trenches, a continuous, bright and sparkling 

 brook, and yet, it was a dry time ; quite a drouth. But in spite 

 of all this, we found a stream of water coming from your hillside 

 constantly, with no spring to feed it, only coming from the stored 

 up rains and dews that fell, caught up and garnered by these 

 troughs, furnishing a constant vapor to the roots of your vegeta- 

 bles and plants, keeping them in uniform condition of moisture ; 



