NEW ENGL.AND FARMER, 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



PUBLISHED BV GEORGE C. BARRETT, NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Aoricultoral Wabkhoose.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 23, 1836. 



NO. 37. 



(For the -New England Farmer.) 

 IRRIGATION. 



Br Hon. John W. Lincoln. 



Mr Fessenden: — The belief that there is no 

 subject in relation to Agriculture so little under- 

 stood, or so much neglected, by the greater num- 

 ber of the farmers in this section of our country, 

 as that of irrigation, uill be my apology for 

 soliciting through you the further attention of 

 those interested to this mode of im|irovement of 

 their lands. Comparatively a small proportion of 

 them are so favorably situated as to lie able to 

 irrigate large tracts, but there are but few farms 

 on which irrigation may not be advantageously 

 introduced in a gre.iter or less degree. I do not 

 think that I should be extravagajit in estimating 

 the annual loss to the farmers of this county, from 

 their want of attention to the turning of water over 

 their land, and also the washings of the ptdilic 

 roads, as amountiug to several thousands of dollars 

 more than the whole amount of county charges 

 for roails, administration of justice, &c. beyond a 

 liberal allowance for compensation, for all time, 

 trouble and expense, which a proper attention to 

 it might occasion. 



There are but few farms, on which there arc 

 not one or more small streams, some of them 

 perhaps not permanent, but which continue for 

 several weeks in the spring, and their channels 

 filled with water after heavy showers, the waters 

 of which may be very profitably used in irrigation ; 

 they are loaded with manure, which unless saved 

 by being filtered through the grass, is lost for any 

 beneficial use. On lands thus partially irrigated, 

 the grass starts more early, the earth having 

 acquired a thicker covering, is afterwards less 

 affected by a drought, and the crop of hay, al- 

 though less than on lands where a more constant 

 supply of water can be obtained and has been 

 judicionsly used, is superior to that on adjoining 

 lands of equal quality of soil, over which water 

 has not be.en turned. 



1 have in this discussion made many extracts 

 from different authors, and would now refer to 

 a most excellent treatise, "Tatham on Irrigation," 

 as containing much valuable information. On 

 page 5, he says : — " But of all the instances of 

 agricultural, household, and commercial economy, 

 which call for the attention of philosophical ob- 

 servation and scientific assistance, none appears 

 to be more conspicuous than the neglect of an 

 economical tise of water. Indeed, improvements 

 in respect to the various applications of this ele- 

 ment, which might be contrived for our better 

 accommodation, seem to be lost sight of, like most 

 other providential bounties, in an imaginary idea 

 of the superabundant infinity of the natural supply ; 

 and an habitual indifference beyond the ordinary 

 purposes which have accompanied custom from 

 early periods of untutored nature." 



On page 45, it is stated, that " there is perhaps 



no beneficial practice in Agri<;ulture which has 

 been so generally neglected in Great Britain as 

 that of watering land. Its fertilizing effects have 

 been sufficiently experienced in our climate to 

 demonstrate, that great benefits might be derived 

 from this application of that useful element; but 

 we are as yet unable to make even an a])proxima- 

 ted estimate of what the amount of these benefits 

 might be, because we know so little of the variety 

 of cases in which it might be ajiplied, or of the 

 precise nature of its meliorating effects. Perhaps 

 Ihe application that has been made of it in Aber- 

 deenshire goes farther to point out the nature of 

 these future and distant effects, than that of any 

 other part of Britain. It is proved by the prac- 

 tice there, that if a stream of water is allowed to 

 flow over the surface of a heath covered moor for 

 a considerable length of time, that moor not only 

 loses the power of producing heath, but it grad- 

 ually acquires the faculty of producing grass in 

 abundance, as well as corn (small grain), and 

 various other crops, that in its natural state never 

 would have been reared upon it ; and that it not 

 only is enabled to produce these crops in conse- 

 quence of the moisture it furnishes at the time 

 they are growing, but that these effects coniinue 

 afler the water itself is withdrawn ; and that of 

 course it operates as a manure which cominuni- 

 cates a permanent fertility to the soil that never 

 can be lost, except by bad lufliisgenient at some 

 future period. 



"In this point of view it would appear, ^hat 

 every drop of water which is allowed to run into 

 the sea, without having been first spread upon the 

 soil to fertilize it, is a waste of so much valuable 

 manure; and that those who suffer it thus to go 

 to waste, are guilty of nearly a similar crime as 

 those who bury their dung in pits under ground. 



"If it be true, as Swift asserts, 'that the man 

 who can make two blades of grass grow where 

 only one grew before, deserves more applause 

 than all the warriors and politicians that ever were 

 born'; it will naturally follow, that those who 

 neglect to do this, when it is within their reach, 

 are equally entitled to blame for misconduct." 



On page 49, it is said that " Dr Anderson, who 

 in speaking concerning some of the works for 



" Let not Britain, then, (sjiys he,) boast of her 

 attainments in Agriculture, or consider her fields 

 as nearly as productive as they might be rcndererl, 

 while such immense quantities of water are suf- 

 fered to flow into the sea without having ever 

 been employed to fertilize her fields in the smallest 

 degree." 



On page .53, it is stated, that " Mr Hoyte, of 

 Osbornby, has given farther speciuK^ns of his 

 superior skill and spirit in this kind of improve- 

 ment, by taking to himself an allotment of poor 

 land, for the lauilable purpose of convincing 

 unbelievers in the theory of agriculture, how very 

 far it is possible to practice irrigation with profit. 

 He has availed himself of the undervalued re- 

 source of catch-water drains , and has irrigated fifty 

 acres at an expense of fifty pounds. • This im- 

 provement succeeds to his wishes, but it is yet of 

 too recent a date to authorize a decisive account 

 of its product. This gentleman also has observed 

 and put in practice a leading maxim in irrigation, 

 which seems every where to obtain ; he takes 

 care to continue his water (as near as practicable 

 in retaining its nutritious particles) in a constant 

 state of activity. His method is, to water three 

 or fom' days, and then shift. I apprehend, how- 

 ever, that where irrigation is used in a warm 

 season, a different practice must be adopted ; and 

 in this respect, a few experiments will be found 

 the best preceptor to govern the variance of soil 

 and climate'. Mr Hoyte uses irrigation in the time 

 of frost fertile purpose of destroying sedge ; which 

 in his experiment is succeeded by the appearance 

 of clover. Mr Young states the produce gained 

 in this instance at a ton of hay, and fifteen shil- 

 lings sju'lng feed per acre, with nearly the same 

 quantity of after grass. To this we may add the 

 advantages of early feed for an increasing stock, 

 and the enrichment of the farm by the propor- 

 tionate accumulation of tnanure." 



Page 59 says: — " The practice of irrigation by 

 Mr FennOf of Baddly, near Namptwick in Ches- 

 hire, is very similar to the method used by the 

 German settlers in America, in the irrigation of 

 meadows with liquid manure. The farm house 

 and yard are situated upon a stratum of clay and 

 marl to a considerable dejith, and therefore the 



public irrigations in France, farther remarks, that water in rainy seasons, is not much decreased by 



as such public works have hitherto unfortunately 

 been confined to warm countries, men have gen- 

 erally adopted the idea that the only use of such 

 irrigations must be to give moisture to plar,ls 

 when growing, as the great heat of the clirnate 

 would deprive them of the requisite humidity ; 

 and that of course in such moist climate as Bri- 

 tain, whose plants are rarely killed with drought 

 they cannot be wanted. He states the fact as 

 clear, however, and gives the practice of Aber- 

 deenshire as an. unexceptionable proof, that water 

 duly spread over the surface, and judiciously man- 

 aged, acts always as a permanent manure? that is 

 equally calculated to fertilize the fields and moun- 

 tains in high latitudes as to render luxuriant the 

 crops in the vales of torrid regions. 



absorption. The sap f*-om, the dung-hills, and 

 moisture from the cowhouses, &Ci is collected 

 into reservoirs. The moisture from the wash- 

 bouse, stables, jiig-styes, necessary, &c. which 

 only runs during rain, and a few hours after, is 

 distributed into the first field by a gutter called 

 the first level. "TJiis fartn-house is said to be 

 unfortunately situated upon the highest ground 

 with a declivity from it in all dire<-.tionSj which 

 prevents^ny additional water being brought to it 

 by collecting gutters ; and therefore the whola 

 quantity hers used is, what falls from the clouds 

 ui)on the buildings, yard, &c. being about two 

 acres of ground ; and yet this, inconsiderable as 

 it is, promises to be sufiicient for the maintenance 

 and improvement of about eight acres of land for 



