TILE DRAINAGE. 55 



year, and bringing it into productive shape by manures or 

 phosphates, and by wise tillage, thorough cultivation, and 

 free use of clover. And I feel sure that this land thus treat- 

 ed will soon become equal, or nearly so, to the fertile sandy 

 loams of the Miami and Scioto valleys, and of Stark, Wayne, 

 R : chland, and simil ir counties of Ohio, for the growth of 

 wheat, clover, and general farm crops and fruits. But it 

 takes more skill and patience to manage such land. It takes 

 more manure or fertilizers at the first; but their effects are 

 wonderfully lasiiny. But 1 believe that, without tile drainage 

 as a basis, it will be impossible to make such clayey land fit 

 for tillage, clover and rotation of crops to any wide extent 

 in fact, fit for any thing but a scanty and non paying agri- 

 culture, chiefly gra/ing. I am fully convinced that, on such 

 lands, tile drainage will pay, provided it is made simply tlw 

 basis, and is followed by a wise use of all the manure that 

 can be made and saved from farm live stock of right kinds 

 and good quality, by a free use of clover, and by such use of 

 high-grade superphosphates as may seem wise on actual and 

 careful experiment with them. 



As a rule, superphosphates show far more striking effects 

 on clayey soils that need and have tile drainage than on the 

 more sandy loams, or on the limestone soils of Southwestern 

 Ohio, or the black soils with limestone basis found in the 

 northwestern quarter of the State. I think the moderate use 

 of superphosphates wise upon these clayey soils if the ma- 

 nure supply is short ; for, even after they are tiled, they need 

 added fertility at once over their whole area to insure strong 

 growth of wheat and clover. And if one is trying to bring 

 under cultivation considerable new areas each year, the pos- 

 sible supply of manure from live stock is not sufficient, and 

 clover as yet needs " a starter "to make it grow rank and 

 strong enough to have of itself much fertilizing value. For 

 the past six or eight years I have found high-grade super- 

 phosphates exactly the help I have needed to give the land a 

 start ; for it is a large undertaking to lay 15 miles of tiles, 



