EFFECT OF DRAINAGE. 217 



By draining our meadows we also double and sometimes 

 quadruple the depth of the soil. The theory is that the land- 

 owner owns from the surface to the centre of the earth ; but 

 practically it often happens that he owns only a few inches of 

 the surface, for water has possession of the balance. In much 

 of our undrained land the roots of the grasses extend down but 

 a short distance. Meeting the cold water they are chilled and 

 repelled. The roots of the trees even do not venture into the 

 cold, inhospitable, watery subsoil. We have often noticed trees 

 struggling to live in wet, undrained land. They send out their 

 roots foraging for food, but the roots never penetrate to any 

 great depth. They are confined to the surface, and furnish pre- 

 carious sustenance and precarious foothold for the trees which 

 are stunted in growth and are often overturned by the wind, the 

 roots taking up with them the thin stratum of soil and exposing 

 a subsoil almost destitute of vegetable fibre. Tlie propensity of 

 land-owners is to add land to land, to extend the superficial area 

 of the farm ; " to covet," as Scott says, " all that lies contiguous 

 to us." Will it not be just as laudable an ambition to extend 

 our possessions perpendicularly as laterally ? Is tliere not as 

 much satisfaction in harvesting two tons of hay from one acre 

 as the same amount from two acres ? This creating good land 

 from poor, making ten blades of grass to grow where one grew 

 before, furnishes a satisfaction analogous to the pleasure of the 

 Creator, who looked upon the works of his hands and pro- 

 nounced them good. Adding acre to acre is merely a com- 

 mercial transaction, and shows depth of purse rather than of 

 mind. We have no objection to large farms if the capacity of 

 the landlord is equal to the extent of his domain ; but to skim 

 over a great surface for a little produce is neither pleasurable 

 nor profitable. Our meadows have been specially exposed to 

 this skimming process. In the case of our hoed crops, we know 

 it will not pay to plough and waste our seed and the sweat of 

 our brow upon cold, wet land ; but our meadows we have been 

 inclined to treat as though grass could grow anywhere. Grass 

 is very accommodating and does try to grow in the most uncon- 

 genial soil ; but a few tile underneath the surface give great aid 

 and comfort even to grass. 



When land is drained the air penetrates the soil, decomposing 

 dead vegetable and animal matter, and recomposing it into new 



28 



