274 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MARCH 9, 1836. 



may be used in levelling any inequality in the 

 land, or as I prefer, they may, with a duiifr-fork, 

 be readily thrown into a eart, and deposited in the 

 barn, or hog-yard, to be there converted into 

 manure. If after turning the water into the ditch 

 thus made, I find any slight inequality in the sur- 

 face of the outside of tlie ditch which allows the 

 water to escape before the ditch is entirely filled. 

 I take sufficient earth from its bottom to level its 

 bank, so that the water will trickle over the land 

 the whole length of the ditch. - When 1 fir.st com- 

 menced this business, I left the panes between the 

 ditches too large, as I found by observation that a 

 portion of them did not obtain a supply of water, 

 but this defect I have since remedied by making 

 intermediate ditches. In all the slangs a trench 

 drain should be constructed to conduct off the 

 surplus water. As nil stagnant wafer, if it remains 

 long on the land, is prejudicial to vegetaiion, every 

 hollow should have a drain attached to it, and to 

 this thing too much attention cannot be paid. — 

 Before making the drains it is di;sirable that a 

 . careful examination should be had, to determine 

 whether the same trench that is used as a drain 

 for one part of the land, may not be used to 

 conduct the water on to another portion of the 

 land on a lower level ; from this I have derived 

 much advantage. As the quantity of interval land 

 which I irrigate is so extensive, being estimated 

 at more than thirty acres, that I could not, if I 

 wished, suitably water it all at one time, I have 

 therefore in the main ditches several hatches or 

 flumes to enable me to turn the water at pleasm-e 

 on such part as I may wish. I have found it 

 convenient to place at the mouth of each of my 

 small ditches, a small flume made by taking four 

 pieces of plank, and fastening them together by 

 large nails, the ends being left open, and the top 

 plank about four inches shorter than the sides or 

 bottom, the ends of the plank to be even with each 

 other at one end, and a board to be fitted in as a 

 gate and kept in its place by cleats nailed on the 

 sides of the trunk at the other end. I have usually 

 divided my watering into parts, and when I can at- 

 tend to it, I change the water each other day, (each 

 day would be better,) so that the water will be on 

 the land two days, and off six days, or 1 can shut 

 it off entirely at pleasure. ' By the aid of the small 

 flumes above mentioned, 1 am able to turn the 

 water from one part of my interval on- to any 

 other part which I wish to irrigate, with very 

 little loss of time, beyond that of passing to and 

 from the land. 



I know not whether the honorable Judge in- 

 tended to confine his objection to the "flowins; " 

 mode of irrigation, as that called "catch-work" 

 is not liable to his objection of expense : but as 

 his denunciation is in its terms so general, I must 

 suppose that he is opposed to irrigation altogether. 

 On my farm are some streams of water which in 

 the Spring are sufficient to water several acres of 

 land on the side of a hill descending towards the 

 .south, but which fail before midsummer. I have 

 found much benefit of turning these waters over 

 my land ; they have left a sediment among the 

 grass roots, than which nothing can be more ferti- 

 lizing, instead of passing into the river, with all 

 its enriching qualities, to make a useless deposit 

 in the bed of the stream, or to aid in filling up a 

 neighboring mill pond. I am satisfied that by this 

 last mode of improvement I obtain hay much 

 cheaper than I can by any other means ; that for 

 a number of years it may in this manner be pro- 



cin-ed at less charge than would be the expense of 

 carting so much manure as would produce the 

 same crops of grass, considering the manure as 

 worthless at the place from which it should be 

 taken, and my barn yaril is near this mowing lot. 

 This mode of improvement, which saves so much 

 manure for other lauds, is attended with so little 

 expense, save attention, that two men with a team 

 would in a single day prepare several acres jbr 

 irrisration, and no dam is required, besides that of 

 a few stones, and a few sods of earth. It would, 

 however, be convenient to place in such dams a 

 small flume, such as has been before described, 

 that the water may be turned into any particular 

 ditch, or allowed to pass to a lower one at plea- 

 sure. In this system of irrigation, it is not impor- 

 tant that the water be so frequently changed from 

 place to place, as in the other mode, but still care 

 should be taken that it be not allowed to remain 

 too long in the same place. Where it can pon- 

 veuiently be attended to, it is well so to vary its 

 course at short intervals that each portion of the 

 laud may receive equal benefit from it. I could 

 wish that the honorable Judge would make an 

 experiment in this "catch-work" system of irriga- 

 tion, if he has any opportunity of so doing on his 

 own land, if not, that he would persuade some 

 neighbor to do it, in such situation that he could 

 from time to time witness its effect, as I am con- 

 fident that he would become a convert to its utility. 

 I am the more desirous of this, because I fear that 

 while he remains an unbeliever, his deservedly 

 high reputation as an agriculturist might sufl^er in 

 the estimation of some who might believe him in 

 an error, and refuse to give him that confidence 

 to which his opinions in other things may be fairly 

 entitled. Should he, at any future time, visit this 

 vicinity, I should be happy to shew him my own 

 fields, and would ask him to hear the representa- 

 tions not of myself but of my neighbors, who have 

 known their character for many years. I would 

 invite him to accompany me down the valley of 

 the Blackstone river, where I could exhibit to 

 him in many places most indid)itable evidence of 

 successful irrigation. I would solicit him to go 

 with me on to a tract of watered land in the town 

 of Smithfield, R. I., and the examination of that, 

 1 think, would remove all doubts, if he should 

 then continue to entertain any. Not having seen 

 that land for several years, I must describe it as 

 it then was. It was at that time owned by a Mr 

 Wilkinson ; in form of a parallellogram, and 

 contained about thirty acres ; it was the most sys- 

 tematic specimen of irrigation which I have wit- 

 nessed, but not in the expensive style of the books. 

 I was informed by one who professes to know, 

 that the net ]n-ofits of the land was more than 

 equivalent to an interest on two hundred dollars 

 jier acre, and that it could not be purchased for 

 that money. The land immediately above and 

 adjoining this watered tract was then in a state of 

 nature, and I then judged that twenty dollars per 

 acre would, for any piu-pose of agriculture, be 

 considered as a very extravagant price for it. 



When I began this communication, Mr Editor, 

 I had no intention other than to offer to you some 

 authority in favor of irrigation. 1 have unwittingly 

 spun a long yarn, and appeared more in the first 

 person than is pleasant to me, but for this I make 

 no apology. 



I have not leisure, at this time, to re-write and 

 razee the article ; I therefore send it to you, to 

 make use of it, — to expunge such parts as you 



please, or to suppress the whole at your pleasure ; 

 and am very respectfully your friend, &c. 

 Worcester, Jan. 2.1, 1836. 



Effkcts of LiGHTNiMG. — Persous apparently 

 dead from lightning have been recovered by 

 repeatedly throwing cold water over the whole 

 body. Many instances are recorded. The Rev. 

 Mr Steel, of Paris, in the State of New York, has 

 lately in the newspapers mentioned a case of this 

 kind. A lady was with her husband in the house, 

 and the latter was struck with lightnings The 

 lady hapi)ily recollected having a few days before 

 read in the newspapers of the efficacy of cold 

 water, and had the presence of mind to make a 

 trial of it ; on the effusion of the first bucketful 

 he began to move, and on the repetition of a few 

 more, was restored to sense and health. If, 

 during the recovery, the pulse is slow and extrem- 

 ities cold, bleed largely at the arm. A geptleman 

 now living in Johnson county, (R. Gully, Esq.) 

 was a few years ago struck down by lightning, 

 and recovered by exposure to a heavy fall of rain. 



The above floating paragraph we copy, because 

 we understand that a circumstance recently oc- 

 curred in this town, which fiivors the theory 

 therein stated. Mrs Cannon, whom we mentioned 

 in our last as having been struck down with light- 

 ning, owes her Viie to the providential circum- 

 stance of a bucket of water having been thrown 

 upon her by a little boy in the fright and the 

 delirium of the moment, who appears not to 

 have known what he did, or why he did thus. 

 Indeed, for some days he was afraid to tell that 

 he did throw water upon the insensible patient. 

 An instance is also mentioned of a gentleman at 

 the West being struck down with lightning, and 

 with so great force that the electric fluid, on 

 entering his body "tore liis coat, vest and shirt 

 into shreds, burnt the hair from one side of his 

 head, crossed his breast, passed down the extrem- 

 ities, and out through his shoes, perforating them 

 with holes as though buck shot had been forced 

 through them ; in some places breaking the skin, 

 and scorching it In its whole course, so as to give 

 it the appearance of an extensive burn." And yet 

 it is said this individual is in a fair way for getting 

 well, in consequence of plentiful effusions of cold 

 water upon the breast and head, and copious 

 bleeding. Remedies of this nature should be 

 known and treasured up in the mind by every 

 one.—Mw Bedford Times, 1830. 



Philosophical Experiment. — Fresh water 

 may be extracted from salt water by the following 

 simple process ; a common hogshead is provided 

 with a false bottom, about three or four inches 

 above the lower head. This false bottom is per- 

 forated with a number of holes, and over them a 

 filter of flannel. 'i"he barrel is then nearly filled 

 with the finest sand, beat down very hard ; a tube, 

 communicating with the space between the two 

 bottoms, is extended to a convenient height above 

 the top of the barrel. The sea water is poured 

 into this tube, and pressing every way, according 

 to its altitudes, it endeavors to force its way 

 through the sand to the top of the barrel, from 

 whence, by this mode of filtration, it is drawn off 

 fresh, and fit for use. Any other filter will do as 

 well as flannel, which will stop the sand, and 

 admit the water. The saline particles being 

 heavier, and perhaps differently formed, meet 

 with obstructions from the sand, and are lefl 

 behind. 



