®l)c .fanner's illontljln btmtor. 



85 



— lliat in the exhalation of moisture, heat is also 

 carried oflj — and this is one of the reasons whj 

 a wet is i > i I is really a cold one. 'I'liat such a sml 

 is also sour, is proved by ilie fact that vegetable 

 matters form acids, when decomposed in water. 

 The sourness of peat may lie taken as an exam- 

 ple. Prof. Johnston observes — " When [soils 

 are] soaked in water, their vegetable matter 

 either decomposes very slowly, or produces arid 

 compounds, more or less injurious to the plant, 

 and even exerts injurious chemieal re -actions! 

 upon the earthy and saline constituents of the 

 ■oil." 



One of the first objects in the production ol 

 any plant, is to secure n temperature congenial 

 to its habits. Every person may have observed 

 that vegetation makes no progress till the wea- 

 ther becomes sufficiently warm. Different spe- 

 cies of plants require different degrees of heat ; 

 but as a general rule, those which grow in the 

 lowest temperature, are hast valuable. 



The effect of drainage has been found highly 

 favorable in raising the temperature of soils. 

 Experiments have been made which proved 

 that, at seven inches below the surface, the ave- 

 rage degree of heat for thirty-six successive 

 days, on a soil which had been underdrained 

 and pulverised, was ten decrees higher than on 

 a soil precisely similar, that had not been drain- 

 ed mid worked. [See experiments of Mr. 

 Parkes, Journal Royal .%. Society vol. v. pp. 14], 

 143] The more rapid growth and perfect ma- 

 turity of crops on drained lands, is doubtless at- 

 tributable in a considerable degree, to the higher 

 temperature thus attained, and is an evidence of 

 the great value of drainage in high latitudes, 

 where, from the shortness of the season, the 

 results of agricultural labors are peculiarly un- 

 certain. 



It may be safely assumed that draining is the 

 basis of the great improvement which has taken 

 place in British husbandry within the last fifty 

 years. In America, the practice of draining sys- 

 tematically, can hardly be said to have been in- 

 troduced. Various trials have, however, been 

 made in different parts of the country ; the sub- 

 ject is beginning to attract great attention, and 

 We expect, shortly, to see the business carried 

 on largely and profitably. 



It has been objected that drainage is less ne- 

 cessary here than in Britain — that in our drier 

 climate, crops are more liable to injury from 

 drought tlufn moisture. To this it may be re- 

 plied, that proper drainage, with a thorough 

 working of the soil, is the best possible protec- 

 tion against drought. A little observation will 

 convince any person that those lands are most 

 affected by drought, which at some seasons of 

 the year are too wet; of this class are stiff clays, 

 and soils with a "hard pan" subsoil. Clays, 

 which ure not drained, keep the water so long 

 on the surface, that the soil "runs logeiher" 

 and forms a mortar, which, when the water has 

 evaporated, becomes like sun-burnt bricks— un- 

 workable, and totally unfit for the growth ol 

 plants. On the hard-pan soil, the surface is 

 completely saturated with water in spring, or in 

 wet weather, the compact subsoil not permitting 

 it to soak into the earth. In both rases, the 

 workable soil is usually thin, and as soon ns a 

 drought comes on, the plants droop, and " be- 

 cause they have not much root, they wither 

 away." Crops on such soils are very precarious; 

 the only bed for their roots at any lime, is the 

 little portion moved by the plough, and it is but 

 a small part of tbe time, comparatively, that even 



this is wholly available to them-il being almost I bulk, than that of dry land. If the lam 



always either too wet or too dry. The roots 

 cannot, perhaps, penetrate the hard subsoil, or 

 if they do, are liable to be brought in contact 

 with substances more or less poisonous to vege- 

 tation. The effect of drainage in such ruses, is 

 to increase the depth of the soil, to render it 

 mote permeable to the roots ol" plants, and less 

 liable to lie affected by drought. 



The first action of the drain is to take away 

 the water from that part of the soil with which 

 it is in direct contact. A contraction of the soil 

 soon follows, and cracks are formed, beginning 

 at the drain, and extending laterally and vertical- 

 ly, which admit the percolation of water and 

 conduct it into the drain. When the soil is thus 

 brought into n state which allows the water 

 readily to pass through it, the former difficulties 

 of its running together and baking, are obviated ; 

 the soil remains open and friable, and plants are 

 protected against extremes of wet and drought. 

 It is a fact that plains suffer less from drought 

 on a friable soil, than on a compact one ; as may 

 be seen by a comparison of crops on cluy and 

 loam. This results from two causes. The roots 

 of plants have more scope in a loose soil, and 

 are thus enabled to draw support from a greater 

 source. A mellow soil is also most moist in 

 time pf drought— pulverization favoring the as- 

 cent of moisture from below, as well as its ab- 

 sorption from the atmosphere. A heap of mould- 

 ing sand will seldom dry but to a little depth, 

 while hard clay in the same situation will be- 

 come almost destitute of moisture. 



Professor Norton, in his lecture on draining 

 given at Hartford in 1847, states that during the 

 extreme drought which prevailed in Scotland in 

 1845, it was found that in all ordinary cases, the 

 crops on drained land withstood the drought 

 much better than those on undiained, " because 

 of the greater depth of soil available to the 

 plant." And he adds that " it is now a proposi- 

 tion regarded among the best English and Scotch 

 farmers as completely established, that drained 

 land is not only better in wet seasons, but in dry 

 seasons also." 



The full benefit of subsoil ploughing, on tena- 



pasture, animals will reject the herbage that 

 grows on these damp spots, till forced by hunger 

 to e.it it. If the grass is made into hay, the 

 same reluctance of animals to eat it is manifest- 

 ed, and their loss of flesh when kept on it, is 

 evidence of its want of nutriment. Prof. Norton 

 states that analyses of samples of grain from 

 two fields, one drained and the other undiained, 

 showed n decided inferiority in that from the 

 uiulruiiied field. It is plain, therefore, that 

 draining not only increases the quantity of pro- 

 duce, but also improves the quality. 



Another great advantage of draining, is the 

 prevention of giain anil grass from being " win- 

 ter killed." This effect is caused by sudden 

 freezing of the ground while the surface is wet. 

 Land on which wheat and rye have been very 

 uncertain from this cause, urn found to produce 

 the best crops after having been thoroughly un- 

 dent rained. 



But the advantages of draining In a sanatory 

 view, are in many instances of the highest im- 

 portance. It is well known that stagnant water 

 is very prejudicial to health. In those sections 

 of our country which are particularly subject to 

 bilious fevers, and fever and ague, the soil usual- 

 ly abounds in vegetable matter, and during wet 

 seasons is flooded with water, which frequently 

 covers a large portion of the surface for several 

 days or weeks, and finally goes off chiefly by 

 evaporation. Sad experience has taught the in- 

 habitants of these sections to regard such fiond- 

 ings as the precursors of sickness. Similar 

 causes have produced like effects in Europe. 

 An eminent physician, Dr. McNab, observes — 

 "After twenty-six years' practice, I venture to 

 add, that 1 have scarcely ever had a case of ty- 

 phus fever in a malignant form, without discov- 

 ering some stagnant drain, or overcharged cess- 

 pool, or some other manifest cause of malaria, 

 in the immediate residence of the patient." An- 

 other writer observes in reference to the situa- 

 tion of a neighborhood where fevers had pre- 

 vailed—" Most of the houses surround an un- 

 diained common, full of pools of stagnant wa- 

 ter, that in the winter season ovei flow. In the 



cious soils, cannot be fully obtained without tho- summer months, and greater part of the spring 



and autumn, they are stagnant, and undoubtedly, 

 a fruitful source of malaria," 



The benefits of draining on the health of the 

 inhabitants of the wet and marshy districts, have 

 been striking. An English report on this sub- 

 ject, says in reference to one district, where the 

 inhabitants were formerly exposed to the mala- 

 ria of marshy lands — " for the last few years, 

 owing to the excellent plan of draining, very few 

 diseases have occurred that can be said to be 

 produced by malaria. There is very little ague, 

 scarcely any continued fever, and a case of ty- 

 phus fever has not been known along the bor- 

 ders for the last three or four years. Some years 

 back, a great portion of the parishes adjoining 

 these marshes, was under water from the end of 

 autumn to the early part of the following spring; 

 then fevers and agues of nil characters prevailed 

 to a very great extent," Much testimony of a 

 character like this, has been obtained in Briiain, 

 and leaves no doubt of the great benefits of 

 drainage in regard to health. 



Several diseases of domestic animals, such as 

 " liver-cofiiplaiut," in cattle, and "rot" in sheep, 

 are known lobe connected with the same causes 

 which produce the diseases in man above men- 

 tioned. The effects of malaria and watery suc- 

 culent herbage, in producing the rot, have lot.g 



rough draining. If the water is not drawn off, 

 it soon packs the soil together again, after the 

 plough has been used. Prof. Norton states, that 

 where drains have been laid at proper distances 

 in hard-pan soils, the air and rains soon break 

 up the crust, the water filters through into the 

 drain, and the ocheous deposit is gradually dis- 

 solved and carried away. Air ami heat being 

 thus admitted into the soil, the noxious com- 

 pounds which had there formed are decomposed, 

 and wholesome food for plants is produced. 



In regard to the question — Where is it proper 

 to make drains? it may he said that they are ne- 

 cessary wherever the character of the natural 

 vegetation indicates water. Rushes, ferns, and 

 what are generally called water-grasses, always 

 grow where there is loo much water in the soil 

 at certain seasons of the year, for the growth ol 

 the more valuable plants. When the soil is 

 properly drained, these aquatic plants can no 

 longer live. There is scarcely a field on any 

 common farm, that has not spots that would be 

 benefited by the drain, even for grass, and still 

 more for grain and vegetables. The farmer 

 ihinks, perhaps, that as the produce of grass is 

 apparently large, nothing is wanting. But ii 

 must be recollected that the produce of wetland 

 is of less weight and value in proportion to its 



