206 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ISlAT 



Yor of thorough drainage on nearly all descrip- hire, was called on to speak of certain improve- 

 tions of soils, as furnishing the best and safest ments on the farm at the State Reform School 

 condition for every description of cultivation, in the way of draining. He could not speak of 

 Deepening the soil was of the highest advan- expense, as the labor was done by boys. The 

 tage to crops— to show which fact, Mr. French land was wet, and subject to remain in a semi- 

 mentioned that he was informed that the roots flowed state. As to the results, little definite in- 

 of corn had been traced 15 feet in the soil, clo- formatian could be given, as the improvement 

 ver roots 23 feet, and strawberries 4 feet. Were was only a year old ; but, last spring, the land 

 such conditions furnished trees as would enable could be worked as early as any other part of the 

 them to throw out their roots without obstruc- farm. It took several years before the full 

 tion, there would be no more complaint of their amount of draining benefit could be realized— 

 being heaved out by frost in the spring. He hence the present impossibility of speaking of 

 commended drains 4 feet deep, and 30 feet apart, results in the case in question. 



and such could be formed, tiled and filled for 

 about $50 an acre, or less, according to circum- 



Mr. NouRSE, of Bangor, Me., drained a field 

 in 1856, and last year he had 45 bushels of bar- 



stances. The remainder of Mr. French's re- j^y^ p^r acre. One acre yielded 51 bushels. It 

 marks showed an extensive acquaintance '"'ith^ ^^s drained 4 rods apart, and the drains from 3 

 the subject, and an earnest desire to have drain- ^^ 4.1 f^^t ,,e,p. jt ^as designed originallv to 



ing more liberally followed up. 



Mr. Sanford Howard, of the Cultivator, 

 gave a very interesting history of draining im- 



cut drains between, but those already construct- 

 ed had worked so well as to make this design 

 probably unnecessary to be carried out. Mr. 



provements made by Mr. Johnson, Seneca coun-[Nourse was of opinion that depth of drain com- 

 ty, New York State, showing that they had been I pensated, in some degree, for width. He thought 

 commenced under discouragement, and especial- that, if a farmer had 200 acres of land, he would 



ly discouraging advice, but their consequence 

 had been singularly ])rofitable. These improve- 

 ments had begun on a small scale at first, but 



do better to sell one-half and spend the money 

 on the other, and borrow beside, if necessary, 

 and profit would yet accrue in a greater degree 



subsequently had been somewhat extensive, and than if he cultivated 200 acres of undrainedland. 

 31 instead of 15 bushels of wheat, per acre, had| Mr. N. thought $35 as much per acre as drain- 

 been the produce of drained lands, while the: ing would cost, and $20 per acre more than it 

 crops were less subject to parasitical diseases, I might amount to in some places. He concluded 

 and earlier brought to maturity. Besides, a good I by giving a very interesting and instructive view 

 crop was always certain from drained land, when I of the philosophy of draining, which he had 

 undrained soils would notfurnish one worthy the| learned from experience. He approved of the 

 cutting. The cost to Mr. Johnson of digging, | use of tiles, as in every respect preferable to 

 laying the tiles, and filling, (including the price stones ; but the latter ought rather to be used, 



of tiles) was 28^ cts. per rod. The land was not 

 what was called wet land. It had a clay subsoil, 

 and was very apt to bake in summer, chill in 

 winter, and heave in spring, which evils had 

 been obviated by its drainage. While Mr. How- 

 ard believed in the general benefits of draining, 

 there were lands, he thought, that would not re- 

 munerate the farmer for the labor and expense. 

 He briefly alluded to the science of draining as 

 followed in Scotland, stating that the improve- 

 ment in Ayrshire had been equivalent to a doub- 

 ling of the produce of the land. On the eastern 

 coast of Scotland the land was somewhat differ- 

 ent in character, and the profit had not been so 

 great. From 2^ to 3 feet was the approved depth 

 of drains, where experience had proved the ques- 

 tion of what was the proper depth. The soil 

 Mr. Howard would except from draining advan- 

 tages, were those porous soils which rested on a 

 'oose subsoil, without any intervening impervi- 

 ous stratum, or hard pan. 



Mr. Flint, Secretary to tJie Board of Agricul- 



than improvement should be neglected. 



Mr. J. W. BucKMlNSTER, of the Ploughman, 



was doubtful concerning this fancy style of tile- 

 draining, and wished to know why it should su- 

 persede open drains? He also ftlt anxious to 

 know where the profit of this underdraining lay ; 

 in particular, where drains should be made in or- 

 der to be profitable, and where they would be 

 useless ? 



Mr. Sanford Howard answered the first ques- 

 tion by stating that open drains, during showers, 

 would carry away fertilizing matter laying on the 

 surface, whereas, by the water being forced down 

 to the drains, through the soil, the sediment was 

 retained in it, and extra fertility would be the 

 consequence. When in Scotland, he saw a man 

 jamming clay into his drains in order that the 

 water should get into them from underneath, and 

 not flow over their tops to the outlet, or along 

 the surface, carrying the manure with it. 



Mr. Buckminster would content himself with 

 a homoeopathic dose of such fancy, costly drains, 



