56 



THE PARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR 



It is obviouj that this difTiTence of practice in 

 the treatment of the sub-soil involves a most im- 

 portant question, which can only be solved by ac- 

 curate and multiplied experiments. The outlay of 

 capital, which is common to both plans, consists in 

 effectual under-draining; and no subsequent man- 

 agement, no fresh application of capital, can be of 

 any avail, unless, on retentive soils or a substratum 

 of clav, the water be quickly carried off. This 1 

 take to be an a.xioni undisputed in aijricniture: but 

 after effectual draining, when the outlay has been 

 incurred, the mode of treating the sub-soil affects 

 only production, and does not involve expenditure; 

 and greater produce without additional outlay is the 

 grand object of the practical farmer. 



We h ive seen that in draining Mr. Smith uses 

 stones, because he has them on the spot. Tiles are 

 subsliinled in the midland counties of England, 

 becanse stones cannot be obtained easily, and be- 

 cause in the clay districts tiles are cheaply and ea- 

 sily manufactured. 



it has always appeared to me that skill in agri- 

 culture does not so much consist in the discovery 

 of principles of universal application as in the a- 

 daptatlon of acknowledged principles to local cir- 

 cumstuiices. 



The peculiarities of soil and climate, what na- 

 ture gives or nature witholds in each particular dis- 

 trict, must be carefully considered and judiciously 

 investijiated, before any given e.\periinent, though 

 locally successful, can be jironounced to be gener- 

 ally useful or unlversallj' applicable. 'J he neglect 

 of this consideration has brought agricultural ex- 

 periments into disrepute, on account of the heavy 

 losses which they have occasioned. If the record 

 now opened in these Transactions he faithfully 

 kept, this evil will be averted; for I hope that each 

 experiment detailed will be authenticated by the 

 name of the parly who makes it, and that every 

 local circumstance of a particular character will be 

 carefully particularized. 



My attention having been thus dlrectrd to the 

 various treatment of sub-soils after under-draining,- 

 I tried an experiment, in the year IS'iS, on a field 

 of about 8 acres of the poorest and wettest land. 

 The surface soil is about 5 inches deep of black 

 earth ^T a peaty quality : the sub-soil is a weeping 

 retentive clay with sand and rusty gravel intermix- 

 ed. This clay goes down to the bottom ol' the 

 drains, which are of tile, laid 30 inches deep, in ev- 

 ery furrow.* This field is in a farm lately taken 

 into my own hands, and was rented by the out-go- 

 ing tenant at is. 6il. an aero. It was in pasture of 

 the coarsest description, overrun with rusiies and 

 other aquatic plants. 



After ilraimng, lui one-half of this field, I used 

 Mr. Smith's subsoil plmigh, on the oilier half 1 

 trenchphuighed to the depth of 10 inches by two 

 ploughs following in succession : in the first part 

 not mixing wltli the surface any of the sub-soil, in 

 the last part commingling the surface and the sub- 

 soil in nearly equal proportions. Tlie whole field 

 was heavily but equally manured and planted with 

 potatoes ; and though the potatoe crop, even on 

 good land, in tills neighborhood, was below an av- 

 erage, yet the crop in this field exceeded an aver- 

 age, and yielded about 12 tons per acre. The field 

 is equally drained in every part. I filled up the tile- 

 drains with porous materials, such as stones, moor- 

 turf reversed, and tops of thinnings of young plan- 

 tations, to the exclusion of the retentive clay which 

 held the water. The crop of potatoes was so equal 

 throughout the field, that I am unable to pronounce 

 positively which part was the best; but I am in- 

 clined to give the preference to that portion where 

 Mr. Smith's sub-soil plough was used. Since the 

 potatoes were taken up the land has not been 

 ploughed or ridged up, but remains perfectly flat ; 

 and 1 observe, where Mr. Sinitli's sub-soil plough 

 was used, that no water whatever, notwithstanding 

 the wetness of the season, has stood upon the land; 

 where trench-ploughing was adopted, and a por- 

 tion of the clay brought to the surf ice, after heavy 

 falls of rain, the water has stood for a time in hol- 

 low places; and here the land, in consequence, 

 would seem to be rather soured. The field will be 

 Bown out this spring with oats and grass seeds, and 

 1 shall watch with anxiety the future effects of the 

 past different treatment. 



In the mean time I have relet the larni'i the out- 

 lay in draining and e.xtra jdoughing cost me .£6. 

 185. 4(1. an acre ;t but the field in question, which 

 was valued at 4^. 6//- an acre to the out-going ten- 

 ant, is rented by the in-coming tenant at 2Us. an a- 

 cre, on a lease of 1-4 years. 



On a small field of very retentive clay, of an 

 hungry and bastard kind, intermixed with rusty 

 gravel, I tried six years ago, the experiment ot 

 trenching with the spade after close and careful 

 draining ; 1 buried the s'jrface soil, which was poor 



and exhausted, and I brought the sub-soil to the top 

 from the depth of 18 inches. I limed this land and 

 sowed it out with rape and grass seeds. It has been 

 very unproductive ever since, and all my expendi- 

 ture upon it, hitherto, has been thrown away; for, 

 though dry, it bears no more grass than before the 

 draining. I think, however, that the surface soil 

 is now mellowed by exposure to the atmosphere ; 

 and 1 am about to break up this field and to put it 

 through a rotation, in the confident hope of in- 

 creased production. 1 have also ordered a field of 

 20 acres, of dry and good land, cropped out by a 

 bad tenant, to be trfated with a view to this exper- 

 iment on sub-soil. The field lies in two ridges on 

 the bank of the river Esk ; the soil is alluvial de- 

 posit : on the lower ritlge next to the river the sur- 

 face is a fine loam of 12 Indies deep, incumbent on 

 a sub-soil of sandy loam 16 inches deep. On the 

 upper ri<lge the loam does not exceed S inches, 

 but the sub-soil is a good clay 13 inches deep : in 

 the hands of tenants up to the present time, the 

 depth of the furrow ploughed has never exceeded 6 

 inciies. I have ordered the lower flat to be trench- 

 pk-ughed to the depth of 14 inches, bringing the vir- 

 gin loam to the top; 1 have ordered the upper flat to 

 be stirred with Mr. Smith's sub-soil plough, thus 

 breaking the lower crust, without ciiangmg the 

 surface. The whole is to be manured equally with 

 bone dust, and a crop of turnips to be taken. 



I shall be happy, at a future time, to comniuiji- 

 cate the comparative result of this different treat- 

 ment; and I trust I may be pardoned for my pres- 

 ent intrusion, which arises from my anxiety to fix 

 the attention of (he farmer on this question of the 

 treatment of sub-soil, which by judicious manage- 

 ment, I think, ma}' add to the power of production 

 without cost; especially when tlie surface by lung 

 and repeated crojjping has been exhausted and has 

 become comparatively sterile. At the commence- 

 ment of our publication I could not omit an op- 

 portunity of endeavoring to use it for the legitimate 

 purpose of inviting accurate expeiiment, with the 

 view of circulating the extending agricultural 

 knowledge. 



I have the honor to be, 

 sir, your faithful servant, 



J. R. G. GRAHAM. 



Netlierby, 26th January, ISS'J. 



*The size of the tiles used was 6 inches for the 

 main drains, and 3 inches for tlie common drains. 

 The tile drains were laid ten yards apart. 



£. s. d. 

 (70 rods of draining, cutting, laying the 



tiles, and uplll'tlng, at 4f/. per rod 12 3 



1.500 tiles per acre, at oOjT. per thousand 3 5 



Cairiage of do. 6s. do. 6 



Do. of turf, &c., for covering the tiles, 



70 roods, and cutting do., at 6d. per 



rood, gives per acre 115 



rioughing with the Dcanston plough, 

 with four horses 



Cost per acre 



£6 18 4 



We take great pleasure in the receipt of the pam- 

 phlet containing the Speeches corrected from their 

 own pens of the Hon. D.aniel Webster and Pro- 

 fessor SiLi,i.M.\.v at the State House in Boston, in 

 January last. The Agricultural Commissioner 

 having intimated that the corrected reports would 

 be forthcoming, we had omitted complving with a 

 request to publish Mr. \Vebster's remarks in our 

 last number. They are now given : and Professor 

 Silliman's speech will be published in the May 

 Visitor. The sterling good sense of Mr. Webster's 

 remarks demonstrates the great value of learning 

 when young how to perform the most common av- 

 ocations and duties of a rural or a laborious life. 



5 12 4 

 1 6 



DUeding of CattU. — We had verv nigh lost one 

 of a fine pair of two years old steers during the last 

 winter. Accidentally the passage was left open, 

 and the cattle for the first time found their wav in- 

 to the street, when the snow was deep and there 

 was but a single path. A mischievous lumber-box 

 driver run down the animal, and struck off with 

 his sleigh runner the whole outside flesh and mus- 

 cles over the left ancle of the hind foot. The steer 

 bled profusely before he could be returned to the 

 stall. A person used to treating cattle was near 

 the spot, the animal discharged blood so fast that 

 the man said he must be knocked on the head, and 

 dispatched a person to obtain our consent. But by 

 the time we arrived at the spot, Ihi stream of issu- 

 ing blood was apparently growing less. Flannel 

 bandages were applied, and in a short time the flow 

 of blood seemed to stop, because there was little 

 left in the bo<iy of the sieer. In the course of a 

 few weeks the animal recovered. 



Since the escajve of tiiat animal, a gentleman of 

 Hill, N. II. mentioned what he believes to be nn 

 uniiiillng and immediate remedy for bleeding; and 

 that is, the cording of an ear near the head, by 

 drawing close around it athread of strong twine or 

 other flexible material that will not be easily brok- 

 en. He observed to us that he saved a young 

 ox which before he was broken he had accidental- 

 ly given a blow on the head, from which his whole 

 blood seemed to be pouring out. The tightened cord 

 stopped at once the running of blood. 



Agricultaral Meeting. 



The Commissioner of Agricultural Survey, hav- 

 ing obtained, by a vote of the House, the Repre- 

 sentatives' chamber for the purpose, invited a meet- 

 ing of the members of the Government and oth- 

 ers interested in Agriculture to be held on the c- 

 vening of the loth January, 1?40. 



The meeting was very fully attended. The Hon. 

 Leavitt Thnxter, of Edgartown, Dukes Co., mem- 

 ber of the Council, was called to the chair. He 

 briefly expressed the pleasure he felt in being pres- 

 ent on this occasion ; and his respectful acknowl- 

 edgements of what he deemed a high honor, that of 

 being called to preside at a meeting of the farmers 

 of Massachusetts. 



The Commi.-^sioner, Mr. CoLaiAX, then opened 

 the object of the meeting. 



He stated the great satisfaction, which he felt in 

 meeting again in that place his brother farmers 

 from every part of the State, and so numerous an 

 assembly of intelligent and respectable persons, 

 who took an interest in a matter of such paramount 

 importance as the Agriculture of the Common- 

 wealth and the country. The weekly meetings of 

 the last winter, during the session of the Legisla- 

 ture, of the farmers of the Legislature and others, 

 had given much ]>leapure ; elicited much useful in- 

 formation ; stimulated agricultural inquiry ; and, 

 in various ways, been productive of highly benefi- 

 cial effects. This was to be regarded as the intro- 

 duction of another series of meetings, the results 

 of which, he trusted, would be equally agreeable 

 and useful. 



It was gratifying to meet on an occasion where 

 the conflicting elements of party strife could not 

 be aroused ; and where any difference of opinion, 

 which might be fiiund to prevail, could have no 

 other effect than to encourage inquiry and experi- 

 ment, the only sure roads to useful knowledge. In- 

 telllfi-ent minds here b'*ought i^to collision would 

 emit light ; but it would be light without heat. — 

 This could have no other effect than to extend 

 knowledge and improve skill in the great art, which 

 lies at the foundation of individual subsistence, of 

 domestic comfort, and of national wealth. 



The importance of this great art, agriculture, 

 could not be over estimated. He tru.-*ted that the 

 public mind would presently arrive at sounder and 

 more comprehensive views of its great moment; its 

 bearing upon the various sections of society, upon 

 the general welfare, and the moral conditio i of the 

 community; and elevate it to its proper rank a- 

 mong the humane arts and the useful pursuits of 

 life. 



The subject which he had the honor to propose 

 for tlie discussion of this evening was, 'The Agri- 

 culture of Massachusetts.' This subject particu- 

 larly concerned them as citizens of the State, em- 

 inently distinguished for its social privileges and 

 improvments. Agriculture in Massachusetts had 

 not received the attention wliich it might justly 

 claim. Its progress had not kept pace ivith tlie ad- 

 vances made in the mechanic arts and in commer- 

 cial enterprise. It was not justly appreciated a- 

 mong us. The soil of Massachusetts had been too 

 much disdained and its climate pronounced unfa- 

 voraide to agriculture. We were, in a large meas- 

 ure, and to far too great a degree, dependent upon 

 other places and countries for a supply of the sub- 

 stantial products of the eartii, and the first neces- 

 saries of life. We did not raise our own bread or 

 potatoes ; and we imported largely of the necessa- 

 ry supplies for man and beast. 



This was not as'it should be. There was noth- 

 ing in the soil or climate of M-'.ssnchusctts incon- 

 sistent with a highly improved and profitable a jri- 

 culture. It was his confident belief that Massa- 

 chusetts was fully capable of producing her ovrn 

 bread ; and in this respect, what could be done 

 ought to be done. Her power was the only llinltof 

 her duty. In the good morals and good habits of 

 her people, in their indiis'rj', temperance, frugali- 

 ty, and general intelligence, there were all the el- 

 ements of improvement; and the best foundation 



