EXPERIMENTS IN DRAINING. 



Some of the land I first drained had been planted 

 with young orchard trees ; and in the wettest places 

 some trees died the first winter, and a great num- 

 ber the second ; and some young nursery trees on 

 the same ground were nearly thrown out of the 

 ground by the frost. 



After draining it, I replaced the orchard trees, 

 and all have grown well ; and the first crop of 

 nursery trees, which I was compelled to remove to 

 save them, before draining, have been replaced by 

 others since draining, and they have succeeded per- 

 fectly ; so now I may well say, that if we desire to 

 deprive Jack Frost of his power to do us harm, we 

 should keep everything as dry as possible which is 

 within his reach and liable to injury. And I am from 

 my own experience fully convinced that for whatever 

 crop, and especially any crop liable to be injured by 

 frost in winter, such as wheat, clover, etc., whether 

 the season be wet or dry, if the soil retains its 

 moisture too long at any season of the year, (and 

 most soils do,) it will be materially benefited by 

 draining ; and in fact I am well convinced that most 

 of the "winter-killed young fruit trees, especially the 

 peach, in many places, as well as the winter-killing 

 of many valuable shrubs, vines and evergreens, 

 which survive the winter in some places in this 



