NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



63 



and cheapness of construction at their head. I am 

 anxious to disprove the impression, but much more 

 desirous of placing before j'our readers the advan- 

 tages which proceed from the latter mode of opera- 

 tion. 



I am old enough to remember the advent of the 

 modern principles of draining. When it was first 

 practised, no such idea as subsoil culture had its birth 

 in the agricultural mind. You well know that the 

 general depth of active soils, on indurated bases, sel- 

 dom averages more than nine inches, when under the 

 much too common system of cultivation, — which 

 amounts to a mere ploughing. This partial stirring, 

 and the action of the atmosphere, rarely combine to 

 pulverize the earth below the above designated 

 depth, when the substratum is of a tenacious or in- 

 durated character. Acting on the observations aris- 

 ing from this fact, the original drainers decided 

 on eighteen inches as a sufficient depth to cut their 

 trenches, — their object not being to deepen the soil, 

 but to carry away surface water, and cut off springs, 

 &c. These objects the system could accomplish tol- 

 erably well ; and it was not until the operations of 

 scientific men proved the benefits of subsoiling, for 

 the purpose of deepening the active soil, that any 

 deviation from the original mode was acknowledged 

 as being proper or necessary. 



The progress of science demonstrated that healthy 

 plants of the cereal descriptions would send their 

 roots from sixteen to thirty inches into the soil, in 

 search of sustenance to support their vigor ; and this 

 begot, in turn, the idea of applying mechanical means 

 to the pulverization of the soil to such depth as 

 would insure to crops such favoring conditions. 

 Consequently the subsoil plough, and all the varieties 

 of cultivators, were invented, and came into use. 

 These influences revolutionized the rules of draining 

 previously laid down ; and the Deanston system 

 arose upon the ruins of the old established eighteen 

 inch deep practice. Mr. Smith, of Deanston, in Scot- 

 land, with whom I have had the pleasure of con- 

 versing often on this subject, first adopted the theory 

 of two and one half feet deep drains, and proved their 

 superior advantage, along with subsoil ploughing, 

 in an elaborate and most satisfactory series of exper- 

 iments. His published letters, and public lectures, 

 soon made his system popular ; and the combined 

 advantages of subsoil ploughing and deep draining, 

 formed the intermediate age of agricultural improve- 

 ment ; for draining especially had another step 

 farther to go, ere it could earn the title of such per- 

 fection as it has at present attained to. In the origi- 

 nal system, the rule, was eighteen inches deep and 

 eighteen feet space between the trenches ; in the 

 Deanston system, the depth of drain was two and 

 one half feet, and the trenches also eighteen feet 

 apart. Mr. Smith has, within the past ten years, 

 reluctantly added six inches to his theory ; but this 

 addition has not recommended an attachment to his 

 system. 



In 1840 several gentlemen in the south-west of 

 England, and elsewhere very partially, began to con- 

 sider the propriety of adding to the depth of the 

 drains, and widening the space between them — act- 

 ing on the supposition that the greater declivity the 

 water had to run upon, the greater the rapidity of 

 its disappearance from the soil, — and also judging 

 that the more inclined the plane surface of the sub- 

 soil, the horizontal distance from which water could 

 be drawn to the trenches would bo proportionally 

 increased : these parties, considering the above proba- 

 bilities, determined to prove them facts, and insti- 

 tuted a scries of experiments, which ultimately sat- 

 isfied them that they were practical truths. Mr. 

 Mechi, of London, stands at the head of the third 

 age of drainers. His system was to dig his trenches 

 four feet deep, when the declivity of the land would 



tolerate this depth, and in some instances five feet, 

 and have them forty feet apart, ITic marked effi- 

 ciency of the system, in deepening the soil, through 

 the furnishing of conditions superior to any other, 

 for the action of external influences of water and 

 atmosphere combined, soon rendered it a favorite 

 one : and now it is the only system which receives 

 the sanction and adoption of the improvers in 

 Great Britain. My next shall contain some remarks 

 on the adjuncts necessary to efficient drainage. 

 Meantime I am truly yours, 



A FIRESIDE FARMER. 

 Boston, Jan., 1850. 



For the New Eiu/land Farmer, 

 EVERGREEN HEDGES. 



Friend Cole : Very few farmers in Xcw Eng- 

 land possess well-grown hedges, or, indeed hedges 

 of any growth. Of course they have little knowl- 

 edge of hedge planting and raising. To this want 

 of knowledge may perhaps be attributed the lack 

 of interest evinced on this subject, by those who 

 might be expected to feel much. Would it not be 

 well occasionally to call their attention to this sub- 

 ject through the columns of the Farmer? 



What single feature of improvement is there, that 

 could possibly give to a farm so much additional 

 beauty, as that of surrounding it with an evergreen 

 hedge ? There is, even in winter, a pleasing appear- 

 ance of freshness and vigor in the dark foliage of 

 some of our native evergreens which commands the 

 admiration of every one. A hedge of evergreen is 

 in itself beautiful ; but to a landscape otherwise 

 barren, it gives an air of picturesque loveliness that 

 scarcely any thing else can give. In most of our 

 nurseries, evergreens of various kinds (not always 

 the most beautiful) are grown, but in small num- 

 bers, and principally for ornamental trees. Occa- 

 sionally, we see beside some small garden a few 

 yards of arbor vit<e, or other evergreen hedge ; but, 

 as yet, no boundaries or subdivisions of farms are 

 marked by walls of living green. 



Much pains are taken, by the inhabitants of cities 

 and their suburbs, to render their situations more 

 pleasing and attractive. Here and there, small 

 lawns are interspersed, and gardens of fruits and 

 flowers, vineries and conservatories, and groups of 

 shrubs, or trees ; but the scenery of our country 

 farms gives little appearance of rural taste, among 

 the more rural population. The background is not 

 always the least expressive and important part of 

 the picture. It is for the farmer to take the pencil, 

 and trace the more striking and extended outlines 

 over the face of New England landscape. 



If he will but try, he may find it not to be so hard 

 a task as at first he might supiiose. In this part of 

 the country, a new era in farming has begun. The 

 cropping system, which has been employed here, lias 

 in a great measure exhausted the virgin soils which 

 gave our fathers bread. To plough and sow, without 

 feeding the soil, give no returns now. Those who 

 wish to till their iarms on the exhausting system, 

 must go to the west. Those who remain here will 

 find it for their interest to till small farms, and do it 

 ire/l. When skill, science, and jiractical experience 

 are combined, a little land is sufficient. If it be ex- 

 hausted, or naturally unfertile, the less is needed, 

 for it requires more to cultivate and enrich it. No 

 man, who intends to get his liNdng by farming, can • 

 afford to let his land Ue waste, or to half till it, for 

 the purpose of growing half crops. If, then, a man 

 owns but so much land as he can cultivate, (he has 

 but a doubtful title to more,) and that is his home- 

 stead, what reason can he have for leaving it, yex-c 



