The Planting of the Fruit-Farm 77 



lamp wick, and ever exhibits the process of capil- 

 lary action. This action prevented, the soil 

 becomes fatal to the root of vine or tree; the soil 

 becomes water-soaked, or parched. 



But many a field otherwise adapted to orchard 

 culture is not adequately drained. Its geological 

 structure may prevent such effective drainage as 

 is desired ; the layers of the soil ; the strata of the 

 rocks, or even the slight undulation of the surface 

 may have the effect of a series of dams, holding 

 back the water, and so soaking and clogging the 

 soil. The only remedy is drainage, which is of 

 two kinds, — by a ditch, whether open or covered, 

 leading to stream or lake, or by drainage wells, fed 

 by such a ditch. The simple problem is to prevent 

 standing water. If the land is saucer-shaped, as 

 to surface, and bottomed by hardpan, water will 

 stand within the hollow as in a metal basin. Either 

 cut a ditch across the edge of the basin, letting the 

 water escape into stream or lake ; or sink a drain- 

 age well, piercing the hardpan, thus letting the 

 water sink through a porous bottom and thus 

 vanish. But dig the drainage well, not in the 

 middle of the low spot, lest it fill and remain full; 

 for the sediment will tend to choke the gravel bot- 

 tom to which the well was dug. Sink the well in 

 gravel soil at the edge of the low spot, even many 

 rods from its center, and having by accurate level- 

 ing ascertained the necessary drop to carry off the 

 water, dig the ditch from the center of the low spot 

 to the well, through gravel, if possible, for the water. 



