EFFECT OF A GENERAL DRAINAGE OF THE SOIL. 309 



9°. Nor do the immediate and practical benefits of draining end with 

 •vhe attainment of these beneficial results. It is not till the land is ren- 

 dered dry tliat the skilful and enterprising farmer has a Mr field on 

 which to expend his exertions. In wet soils, bones, wood-ashes, rape- 

 dui5t, nitrate of soda, and other artificial manures, are almost thrown 

 away. Even lime exhibits but one-half of its fertilizing virtue, where 

 water is allowed to stagnate in the soil. Give him dry fields to work 

 upon, and the well-instructed agriculturist can bring all the resources, 

 as well of modern science as of old experience, to bear upon them, with 

 a fair chance of success. The disappointments which the holder of un- 

 drained lands so often meets with, he will less frequently experience. 

 An adequate return will generally be obtained for his expenditure ia 

 manuring and otherwise improving his soil, and he will thus be encour* 

 aged to proceed in devoting his capital to the permanent amelioration of 

 his farm — not less for his own than for his landlord's benefit. 



Viewed in this light, draining is only the first of a long series of im- 

 provements, or rather it is a necessary preparative to the numerous im- 

 provements of which the soil of islands is susceptible — which improve- 

 ments it would be a waste of money to attempt, until an efficient system 

 of drainage is established. And when we consider how great a national 

 benefit this mere preparatory measure alone is fitted directly to confer 

 upon the country, you will agree with me in thinking that every good 

 citizen ought to exercise his influence in endeavouring, in his own district, 

 more or less rapidly to promote it. It has been calculated that the drain- 

 age of those lands only, which are at present in arable culture (10 mil- 

 lions of acres), would at once increase their produce by 10 millions of 

 quarters of tlie various kinds of grain now grown upon them ; — and that 

 a similar drainage of the uncultivated lands (15 millions of acres) 

 would yield a further increased produce of twice as much more. This 

 increase of 30 millions of quarters is equal to nearly one-half of our pre- 

 sent consumption* o^ all kinds of grain — so that were it possible to effect 

 at once this general drainage, a large superfluity of corn would be raised 

 from the British soil. 



This general drainage, however, cannot possibly be eflfected in any 

 given time. The individual resources of the land-owners are not suffi- 

 cient to meet the expense, f and such calculations as the above are use- 

 ful, mainly, in stimulating the exertions of those who have capital to 

 spare, or such an excess of income as can permit them to invest an an- 

 nual portion permanentlyj in the soil. 



10°. He who drains and thus improves his oyn land, confers a 

 benefit upon his neighbours also. In the vicinity of wet and boggy 



• 65 millions of qnarters. See an excellent paper on this subject in the Quarterly Agri- 

 euUuralJournal, xii, p. 505, by Mr. Dudgeon, of Spyelaw, in Roxburghshire, a county in 

 which the practical benefits of draining have been extensively experienced, and are therefore 

 well understood. 



t To drain 25 millions of acres, at j66 an acre, would cost 150 millions sterling, a sum equal, 

 probably, to the whole capital at present invested in farming the land. 



X By an efficient drainage the soil is permanently benefitted, but it is not so clear that the 

 money it costs is permanently invested or hnried in the soil. If the cost be repaid by the 

 increase of produce, in three years, the money is not invested, it is only lent for this period 

 to the soil *' I drain so many acres every year," said the holder of a large Berwickshire 

 farm to me, " and I find myself always repaid by the end of the third season. If I have 

 spare capital enough, therefore, to go on for three years, I can gradually drain any extent of 

 land, by the repeated use of the same sum of money." 



