308 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 



land by drainage, and the prevention of freshets. 



Fifthly — even religious scruples, or rather super- 

 stitious notions, have troubled many upon this 

 subject. They seem to Hunk it sacrilegious to di- 

 vert a stream "from its ancient bed, where the Al- 

 mighty has placed it, and put it into one entirely 

 new. But let a flood occur that threate 

 destruction to their crops, and they are perhaps 

 the very first persons that lose their subn 

 to an overruling providence. This spice of devo- 

 tion to streams, is very ancient. I i:: 

 should any one attempt to change the bed of the 

 sacred Ganges (as it is called,) all the pilgrims oi 

 the East, would be in arms against him; where 

 they resort in "numbers numberless," to pay their 

 superstitious homage to that watery god, and to 

 sacrifice their offspring. Some may be surprised 

 to hear that such an obstacle should exist to drain- 

 ing; but such is the fact: nor need we be surpri- 

 sed at it. Superstition has in all ages retarded, 

 not a little, the progress of knowledge. The sug- 

 gestion of Gregory, that the sun was fixed, and 

 the earth revolved, was condemned as a heresy 

 by the church, and the support of it provided a 

 prison by the Inquisition, for Galileo. Eut we 

 will not digress. 



Sixthly, and lastly — the fear of incurring ex- 

 pense, has been the prime cause which has ob- 

 structed this kind of work. The work is begun, 

 and a pretty good way is made into it, when all at 

 once, it is abandoned. "Too expensive — it will 

 cost more than the land is worth to finish it:" and 

 thus all the labor is entirely lost. A little, rock, 

 perhaps, is found in the bottom of the ditch ; and 

 for fear of spending 40 or $50 to remove it, S400 

 in previous labor is entirely thrown away, and a 

 great deal of land destroyed. How many under- 

 takings of this sort, which either from want of 

 judgement in the design, or from partial execution 

 of the work, or from both causes, are every where 

 to be met with, and remain the monuments either 

 of the ignorance, or the penuriousness of the un- 

 dertakers. 



To do the work effectually, and profitably then, 

 we must be determined to go through with it, cost 

 what it may. If we first "count the cost," and 

 find it likely to be profitable, if it cost half the 

 worth of the land, or even the whole worth of the 

 land, (that is what it would sell for before draining 

 and reclaiming,) for it might increase the value of 

 some land that was not worth five to twenty dol- 

 lars, or even to fifty. Nothing is more expensive 

 than the cultivation of wet, undrained land, (and 

 whose crop is not pitched in a good portion of this 

 sort every year?) and nothing more deceptions. 

 The land has the appearance of being rich, and 

 indeed it is, and we try it every year, though wc 

 are as often disappointed. 



It is better to cultivate the most barren hills on 

 your plantation, than the richest spots subject to 

 excessive wetness; for they not only fail of a small 

 produce, but they produce nothing at all, whereas 

 the most barren hill will produce something. In 

 fact, the "sobbed" parts of a plantation are the 

 poorest parts on it, when permitted to lie undrain- 

 ed — but if thoroughly drained, the very richest. 

 From the value oi' not more than a cent, they may- 

 be suddenly advanced to 20 or #30 per acre, or 

 more. And the value of the crops lost, from ex- 

 cessive wetness, for one or two years, would do 

 the work effectually. Is it not profitable then, to 



lay such places dry if ditching is expensive? 

 Where profits counterbalance expense, however 

 great, there is no expense at all. 



The straightening of a part of the channel of 

 the stream, on which I reside, (Twittie's Cr 

 by cutting the ditch exhibited in the figure, and 

 an attentive operation of its observation for five or 

 six years, has given rise to the. lbregoing remarks, 

 if any benefit to any one having 

 lands in a similar situation, the author oi' them 

 will feel amply requited for his contribution. 



A\ E. READ. 



From the Ohio Farmer. 



THE FRUIT-DRIER. 



Having found a fruit-drier a convenience in fam- 

 ily economy, I am induced to give a short descrip- 

 tion of it, audits uses, pro bono publico. Take two 

 boards 18 inches wide and 4 leet long, set them 

 on end by the side of the house — on the top nail 

 a cover, extending a little over the front, and leav- 

 ing an inch open at the back, to allow the air to 

 pass lreely — make 10 or twelve drawers 3 feet 

 long, 3 inches deep. The sides of common stuff', 

 the bottoms of half inch stuff',. split into narrow 

 stils, and with brads fastened five-eighths of an 

 inch from each other, so as to let the air pass free- 

 ly; on these slats lay the fruit; the drawers may be 

 taken out on sunny days, and in case, of rain, and 

 a! night, they may be replaced. In this way the fruit 

 is never moulded, and much labor is saved. The 

 fruit requires no moving, and the drawers can be 

 replaced wiih very little labor, and (lie drying goes 

 on in rainy weather and at night. 



From Loudon's Gardener's Magazine. 

 LIQUID MANURE. 



Liquid manure may be here [at Ghent] named, 

 and very justly so, their summum bonumj as if ap- 

 plied when the corn is sprouty, or just before a 

 iain, it has an effect which no other manure can 

 have. It destroys insects, and throws a surpri- 

 sing degree of vigor into the crops. It is pumped 

 [from the tanks under ground, into which it is 

 conducted by drains from the stables, &c] into u 

 barrel-shaped water cart; and, when brought up- 

 on the land, the plug is taken out, and the liquid, 

 flowing over a board something in the shape of a 

 fan, as the cart, proceeds, is dispersed on both 

 sides, over a space, perhaps, of 4 or 5 feet. The 

 cart has generally three wheels. 



From the Cultivator. 

 FENCE POSTS. 



An excellent method of rendering these durable 

 in the ground, is published in the American Eagle, 

 ft consists, 1. In peeling the posts, and in saw- 

 ing and splitting them if too large; 2. In sticking 

 them up, under cover, at least one entire summed; 

 and 3. In coating with hot tar, about three feet 

 of the butt ends, which are to be inserted in the 

 ground — after which they are ready lor use. We 

 have no doubt the advantages of this mi 

 preparation will more than remunerate for labor 

 and expense. Our reasons for this belief are brief- 



