NEW ENGLAND FAUMER, 



DRAINS. 



Drains used in fam)iiig are of two kinds, ojjcn 

 and covered. Drains should l)e of a size and 

 depth proportioned to the extent of llie swamp 

 and the probBl)!e quantitj- of water for which 

 they are dei^igned to be channels. Tiiey slion'.d 

 generally be carried through the lowest and 

 of the soil, although it should be 



wettest part 



The mud and other materials, which arc dug 

 out of a tlitch or drain, should not he suflered to 

 lie in heaps or banks by the side of the ditch, but 

 sliould be spread as equally as possible over the 

 surface of the drained land. In this way, the 

 matter taken from the ditches will tend to level 

 the surface of the swamp— will, perhaps, serve in 

 some measure ibr manure, and will not present 



devi- 



necessary, m order to ejfect that purpose, t< 

 ate from straight lines. Open drains sometimes 

 answer the double purpose of conveying oft' su- 

 pefluous water, and of inclosing fields. But they 

 make a hazardous and inconvenient fence without 

 the addition of a bank, lie<lge, or raihng. The 

 Farmer's Assistant says, " When a ditch is made 

 for a fence, it ought to be four feet wide at the 

 top, one or less at the bottom, and about two and 

 ;in half deep ; with the earth all thrown out. on 

 ):ic side, and banked up as high as possible." Sir 

 John Sinclair states, that, " It is a general rule 

 regarding open drains, with a view of giving suf- 



any impediment to the passage of the water to 

 the ditches. In some cases it m.ay be advisable 

 to transport the earth which is taken from the 

 ditches, to the farm yard, or the hog pen, to form 

 a part of that layer, which good farmers generally 

 spread over those places in autumn, to imbibe 

 liquid manure, or make into com])ost with dung. 

 In inanv instances, we are told, that the earth thus 

 dug out of dhches is thought to be worth enough 

 to pay for llie expense of digging the ditches. 



Sept. S, 18-23. 



gemriiUij supposed to proceed from the (xplosions or. 

 casioncd by an influx of water upon ignited mutter ir, 

 volcanoes. In proof of this it is observe<l that they 

 occur mostly in the iiiiinedi.ite neighbourhood ol 

 volcanoes ; the more remo'ie they are the more 

 feeble. It is known that volcanoes have usually 

 some connection with the ocean, fur they some- 

 times throw out water a/id marine animals of 

 difli^rent kinds. How far the ignited matter ex- 

 tends under the sea in a horizontal i~rection from 

 [the crater we cannot tell, but doubtless it reaches 

 i to some distance as volcanoes occur in the vicinity 

 ' of the ocean. The pressure of water 2 or 300 

 feet ii) depth is so immense, that we may easily 

 siippoK' the rocks bene.'ith to give way, so as to 

 i let a quantity of water into the volcano beneath, 

 which will be followed by all the usual effects of 

 the earthquake. — Scholar's Qiia-terly Journal. 



IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE TO 

 FARMERS. 



1. The farmer < ught to rise early, to see that 

 others do so, and that both his example be follow- 

 ed, an<l his orders obeyed. 2. The whole farm 

 shoidd be regularly iiispected, and not only every 

 field examined, but every beast seen at least oucr- 

 a day. 3. In a considerable farm, it is of the ut- 

 most consequence to have hands specially appro- 

 priated for each of the most important depart- 

 ments of labour, for there is often a great loss of 

 time, wliere persons are frequently changing their 

 employments ; and the work is not executed po 

 well. 4. Every means should be thought of to 

 diminish labour, or to increase its power. Foi 

 instance, by proper arrangement five horses may 

 do as much labour as six perform, according to 

 the usual mode of employing them. 5. A fanner 

 ought never to engage in a work, whether of or- 

 dinary practice, or intended improvement, excep 

 „ .,-,-- - , „ I after the most careful inquiries ; but when begun 



foe as much as from fifteen to eighteen inches j And if, having entered, he shall uctualbj lake any i j^^ ^^^.^j ^^ proceed in it with much attention and 



deep ; for the soil will settle after draining, and fndt, he shall be fined not less than five, nor more | perseverance, until he has given it a fair trial. 6. 



be less deen than it was before. But the shuation 'than fifty dollars, besides being hable to bo sued' 



of the land" to be drained may authorize soii.e va- ! for three times the value of what he takes. And 



STEALING FRUIT. 



A young man employed in the factory 



and 



in thi; 



ficlent -slope and stability to their sides, that the I town, on wages of ¥-5 per month, and his board, 

 width at top should be three times as much as 1 feeling rather frolicsome, went mto a larmers or- 



at top I 

 tJiat which is necessary at the bottom, and in the 

 case of peat mosses or soft soils, it should be such 

 as to allow the water to run off without stagna- 

 tion, but not with so rapid a motion as to injure 

 the bottom." 



But before you attempt to drain a piece of laud, 

 it ■will be well not only to caU-ulate the cost, but 

 to ascertain the nature of the coil which it is pro- 

 posed to render fit for cultivation. If the subsoil 



or under layer be clay, the swamp may be worth j seemed there was a law that it any person shall 

 draining, though there should be no more than six f.xter upon any grass -ond, orchard, or garden, 

 inches of black soil or mud over it, for the clay witliout permission of the owner thereof, v. ith ui- 

 and the mud mixed will make a fertile soil. But 1 tent to cany away any Fruit, v.ith the intent to 

 . if the subsoil or under stratum be gravel or white ; injure or defraud such owner, he shall be fined 

 sand, it will not, in common cases, be best to un- j not less than two, nor more than ten dollars ; and 

 dertake draining, unless the depth of black mud ! shall bo liable to be sued by the owner besides.— 



chard, "just over the fence." and took three sweet 

 apples — only three -and, moreover not very good 

 ones. This was in the evening. There were ten 

 or twelve young fellows with him, but he was the 

 scape-goat ; and it so happened that the fiirmer, 

 having suflered before from such frohcs, conclud- 

 ed to try titles to his fruit, at the first chance. — 

 The young man was arrested, and was quits in- 

 clined to laugh it off: but it would not do. It 



It is a main object in management, not to attemp! 



too much, and never to begin a work, v.ithout a 

 riation from these general rules. jif either of the above ofllmccs are comraiitcd on | probability of being able to finish it in due season. 



The manner of draining a swamp is as follows:, the Sabbath, or between sunset and sunrise, the j _,^ Every Farmer should have a book fir in- 

 Beginning at the outlet, pass a large ditch through , peuaUies shall be doubled. I serting all" those useful hints, wliich arc so fre- 

 it, so as mostly to cut the lowest parts. Then | Finding this law very plain, and the magistrate , ^^g^-jy occurring in conversation, in books, and 

 make another" ditch quite round it, near to the 'finding the case very plain, the youth v>as fined <,a,i)ered in the course of his reading, or in a prac- 

 border, to cut ofl' the springs which come from ten dollars— being five dollars for the offence, and , ^j^^^j ,„aiiagement of his farm— Sinclair. 



the upland, and to receive the water that runs five dollars fiir committing it in the night. And j " 



down from the hills upon the surface, in great j then there was the expense cf getting proof, &c. 

 rains. These ditches should be larger or smaller, \ amounting to twelve dollars and some cents — say ] 

 rtion to the size of the swamp, the ; twenty two dollars and a half, in all ! ! !- 



m some proport 



INHUMAN TRANSACTION. 

 A valuable fat ox, the property of A. F. Saw- 

 -the wa- '• ycr, of Mount Vernon, was, on Monday last, bar- 



... ,..ol ! ! 

 — a waruing to all who are disposed to go out up- 

 on " hooking sprees.'" The way to keep out of 

 such trouble is, to keep out of such orchards. 



Springfeld Journal. 



shape and .size of the hills which surround it, and ! ges of four months and an half. The unfortunate 

 Other circumstances, which might tend to greater ' issue of the afl'air frightened the young friends of 



or less quantities of water being occasion.illy or the transgressor, and he was left in gaol 



generally led to the ditches. If the swamp he 

 large, it may be necessary that some smaller cross 

 drains should be cut in several of the lowest parts. 

 The bottom of the main ditches, when the soil is 

 llot of an extraordinary depth, must be lower 



than the bottom of the loose soil ; otherwise the 



Mi\ ^vill never become suftlciently dry and firm."* 

 It is said by Sir John Sinclair, (Code of Agri- 

 culture, page 182,) that " in all drains, it is a rule 



to begin at the lowest jslace, and to work upwards, 



by which the water Mill ahvaj s jiass from the 



workmen, and "point out the level. This enables 



the laborers 



prevents th 



EARTHQUAKES. 



The philosophers of the present day concur in 

 attributing earthquakes to a volcanic origin. In 

 volcanoes we know there is an abundance of mat- 1 for his guilt. 

 ter in a constant state of ignition, we know also i 

 that water thrown into a heated furnace will .scat- 

 ter the melted metal about in all directions : we 



barously stabbed, by some malicious person, ap- 

 parently with a pitchfork; the tines ofwhicli per- 

 forated his body in four places on each side, thro' 

 the hide into the intestines. The wounds being 

 adjudged such as must necessarily destroy the life 

 of the ox, it was immediately slaughtered. Sufii- 

 cient evidence being adduced on the spot to fix 

 the suspicion on a person in the vicinity, he was 

 arrested by Mr S. on an action of damage — aild 

 he will also doubtless be arraigned in behalf ol" 

 the State, to substantiate his innocence, or answer 

 Amherst Cabinet. 



also to work in coarse weather, and have every reason therefore to conclude that if a 

 ir being interrupted by wet, sc early quantity of water should be tlirown upon the ig- 



in the season as otherwise might happen." 

 •Sen Urane's New Eiifflaiid Former, .\r!. "Ouains. 



LONDON MANURE. 



Several vessels have arrived at Perth this spring 

 from London v.ith cargoes of manure. It is laid 

 down at the quay, free of all charges, at from six 

 shillings and six pence, to eight shillings per ton , 

 this may be about one shilhng, or one shilling and 



lilted matter in the bottom of a volcano, it would 



— produce a mighty explosion, sufficient to shake the I . ,■ , ., ,i,„ „ „.;...„„„ v,„ „^ 



' , ,"■',. I, ,1 I sixpence hishcr tlian the same nnantitv can be on 



whole earth to a great distance, bartnqunkes are ! ^^ ^ 



