122 HANDT-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



■fixed upon it by the best farmers in the township, simply as 

 agricultural land, would have given it even one-fourth of the 

 value of an ordinarily good farm. In fact, one of the chief rea- 

 sons for its purchase was the belief that, while it could be bought 

 for a low price, thorough underdraining must, in time, make it an 

 excellent farm ; for its surface soil seems capital, and its subsoil 

 is such as, after draining and deep cultivation, must become one 

 of the best. 



That this opinion was a correct one is partly demonstrated 

 already by the experience with the field to which allusion was 

 made above, — that north of the house. The draining of this land 

 was commenced about the middle of September, and up to that 

 time (there having been no decided drought during the season) there 

 was hardly a day when the water did not stand on its surface, and 

 at no time, after a heavy rain, could it be comfortably driven over 

 for two or three weeks. The draining was completed on this 

 piece by the middle of November. On the 26th it commenced 

 raining at about 10 A M., and at that time the outlet drain, which 

 passes under the road east of the farm, was carrying about one- 

 half inch depth of water in a four-inch pipe. It rained very hard 

 until 5 P. M. when it cleared ofF. At sunset this main was run- 

 ning entirely full. At noon on the 27th — the next day — plowing 

 was commenced on the wettest part of this land, and the ground 

 was amply dry enough for the operation. At night-fall the tile of 

 the main was running only about one-quarter full. This shows 

 that an amount of water which would have prevented our going 

 upon this land in its undrained state before the next June at the 

 earliest, found its way immediately^ even through the compact sub- 

 soil, to tile drains lying four feet below the surface, and was 

 carried away as rapidly as could possibly be desired The same 

 rapid removal of water is obtained over the whole farm, and the 

 hope is yet cherished that its old title of " Poverty Farm" need 

 never be applied to it again. 



The cost of the work of drainmg 60 acres m the very best 

 manner has been, I regret to say, a trifle more than $6,000 — just 

 about enough more to pav for two or three accidental interrup- 



