FARMERS' REGISTER— DRAINING. 



69 



in which all wushiiigs will be lelt, and -the work 

 ultimately ruined. This important liict in draining 

 I had to learn by exi)eriment: and upon so long 

 and crooked a stream, (and that a boundary) to 

 straighten all the angles, and make tlie drain at 

 my own cost and loss, was not exactly pleasant. 

 As a short rule for making drains, let me say that 

 they should he straight, and of fall cap.acity to 

 contain the water thrown into them, always taking 

 care to begin at the outlet or lowest point. By 

 measure and estimate, sulliciently accurate 4br all 

 my purposes, I have not less than ihirtj^ thousand 

 yards ofwater and ience ditching,fii"teen-sixteenths 

 of which is necessary to the drying and draining 

 of my liu'm. Not less than one-quarter of all these 

 must be scoured and cleaned every year. Like 

 a gambler, I was drawn into this work by imper- 

 ceptible degrees, and finally played on because I 

 had already lost so much. Separately considered 

 as a matter ol" profit, I am not prepared to justify 

 such expensive works. Nevertheless they shovv 

 young farmers that perseverance, with a very li- 

 mited degree of knowledge and experience, will, 

 in time, surmount what would seem to be ii'isupe- 

 xable difficulties. TJiough my land was once re- 

 markable lor its great growth of Rishes, I believe 

 it would now be difficult to find one. Clover and 

 plaster operate well even upon that land that was 

 covered 50 years by the mill pond. As for co- 

 vered drains, I have made many, but they were 

 very unsatisfactory: and I would not advise any 

 to make them. No wet land will be benefited by 

 plaster: but the same land made dry, if it had ori- 

 ginally good constitution, will give sur[)rising re- 

 sults — a young farmer, by the use of clover and 

 plaster may feel his way info necessary draining: 

 lor wherever the land is diseased and unsound, 

 from excess of water, plaster is as useless as sand. 

 I will take this opportunity to say that I am no 

 advocate lor deep ploughing, but a decided one for 

 deep stirring. Five or six inches deep for the 

 plough, and then 10 or 12 with the coulter (in- 

 cluding that which is broken by the plough,) is 

 ihe best that I have any knowledge of. No land 

 thus cultivated, will ever Avash. It is a great de- 

 fect in our laws that there is no way for constrain- 

 ing all who are benefited by expensive drains to 

 do their proportion of the work. Nothing can be 

 more just. Bonaparte in his " Code Napoleon," 

 provided for this — but in a community like this, 

 where the politicians rule, and are found at the 

 head and lead of those whose interest it is to keep 

 vip a wide spread common, the waste and ultimate 

 desolation of the country is a matter of certainly, 

 and susceptible of mathematical demonstration. 

 Since my agitation of this subject, I have been 

 much amused to hear the little lawyers and politi- 

 cal jaybirds chatter about " vested rights," and de- 

 nounce the high handed aristocracy that would 

 dare to claim the exclusive enjoyment of their own. 

 Poor Virginia! — land of my fathers — land of the 

 virtuous, the brave, and the patriotic — thy destiny 

 may be paralized and arrested for a season — ^but, 

 like the shorn and maltreated Sampson, time aiiust 

 and will restore thee to thy pristine powers and 

 loveliness — and with "healing on its wings," it is 

 already upon our border. To our highly respected 

 General Assembly I would say, "Ye are the salt 

 of the earth — take care of her rights — to her lap 

 sooner or later you must all go — and for all that I 

 know, must render to her some account of your 



stewardship." The moral and political strength 

 of every countiy can be measured by the condi- 

 tion of its agriculture. 



Contrary to all my calculations, our young wheat 

 promises well — I would rejoice to say the same of 

 our currency: let us beUeve that " chastisement 

 leadeth to wisdom." 



I have planted for 3 years, 7 or 800 locusts each 

 season, and expect to double that number in future. 

 They are planted on ditch banks and turning rows. 

 I would not give up ray subscription to the Regis- 

 ter tor the best horse advertised in the Richmond 

 papers. 



Our oat crop is promising, and as I use this aa 

 a part of my preparation for liillow, it is not unin- 

 teresting; for it gives my horses a good support, 

 and pajs well for making the land ready for our 

 wheat crop. Our corn is very unpromising, as it 

 has been cut down twice by irost, and can, at best, 

 do no more than give the produce of crippled 

 plants. My free use of the coulter is all that gives 

 me hope. Though planted early in April, the 

 corn is not visible at many yards distance. I am, 

 nevertheless, giving it the third stirring with the 

 coulter, and the earth is in fine tilth to the depth 

 of ten inches. Should the season become more 

 favorable, all that I can do will be already done 

 for the security of the crop. Our clover is the 

 Worst I have seen lor 20 years. 



I pray your correspondents to excuse my desul- 

 tory^ and irregular conmiunication — ^but trust they 

 will excuse a sick man. I am in debt to them, 

 and offer this, crippled as it is, as " part and par- 

 cel" of the currency of the times. 



JEREMIAH. 



THE Q,UAIL. 



About thirty years ago, this bird was unknown 

 in Canada. It abounds in the Upper Province, 

 but has not yet appeared in the Lower. Its habits 

 appear remarkable, although probably not more 

 so than those of any other wild fowl, when care- 

 fully watched. A gentleman, of much patient 

 research in remrd to wild animals, who has been 

 a resident in Upper Canada since the cjuails first 

 made their appearance, happened to have above a 

 hundred at one period alive, and took much plea- 

 svu'e in the evening Avatching their motions, where 

 they were confined. As it grew dusk, the birds 

 formed themselves into coveys or parties of twelve 

 or fifteen in a circle, the heads out, and tails clus- 

 tered in the centre. One bird always stood on 

 guard to each party, and remained perfectly sta- 

 tionarj' lor half an hour, when a particular chuck 

 being given, another sentinel immediately took 

 his place, and relieved him with as nuich regular- 

 ity as any garrison could boast. It became a 

 matter of further curiosity to observe how they 

 Avould meet the extra duty occasioned by the ha- 

 voc of the cook. For this also a remedy was 

 found; and the gentleman remarked with admira- 

 tion, that as their number decreased, the period of 

 watch Avas extended from a half to a AAdiole hour, 

 in the same form, and Avith unfluling regularity. 

 [The quail here mentioned is supposed to be the 

 Virginian Partridge, Pcrdix virginiana, the quail 

 of Europe, Perdix Chturnix, not being indigen- 

 ous in any part of America. — Edit.] — Quar. 

 Jour, of Jlgr, 



