Oil the Roots of Trees. 199 



also much improved by the process. The land is thus thrown into seed- 

 beds, and, being thoroughly drained, becomes friable, and admits the air 

 and the falling rain, which run through to the open dead furrows. I do not 

 pretend to say that this is equal to tile-draining ; but as tile-draining is 

 expensive at present, and as this system of culture costs nothing extra over 

 the ordinary expense of ploughing, it might be put into immediate prac- 

 tice. Even with tile-draining, I am not sure that this system of seed-beds, 

 or back-furrowing to the trees, is not advisable. In all heavy clay-lands, it 

 certainly would be ; and it is commended with the most entire confidence 

 to the orchardists in the Basin of Egypt, as well as to other parts of the 

 State. By this system of ploughing, we shall relieve our orchard-trees from 

 stagnant water in rainy seasons, and give them the benefit of moisture 

 from below in dry seasons ; for with a friable, finely-comminuted surface, 

 the evaporation is less rapid, and the moisture will be retained for the use 

 of the trees. 



If we go into our vineyards and small-fiiiit gardens, we find the habit 

 of these partake of the same general character, — a downward tendency 

 of the roots. We have often failed in the culture of these, from fear of 

 injuring the roots by running the double-shovel plough close up to them ; 

 when, if we had boldly made the experiment, it would have given them 

 deep, thorough culture, which, acting like a mulch, would have held the 

 moisture in time of drought, while all excess in wet seasons would have 

 filtered out to the dead furrows, thus giving us, to a great extent, the benefit 

 resulting from tile-draining. Rows of currants, raspberries, gooseberries, 

 and blackberries, could be ridged up in a similar manner as directed for 

 the orchard ; and great benefit would result therefrom. In planting our 

 orchards, care should be had to set the rows in the direction of the drain- 

 age. In one corner of my orchard was a small basin, in which water 

 stood at times. This was slightly ridged up, so that no water stood on the 

 surface, and the rows of orchard-trees continued through it : but the roots, 

 striking downwards, stood in the stagnant water below the surface; and, in 

 three or four years, the trees died. Not being pleased with the idea of 

 having a vacant patch in the orchard, and not wishing to be at the expense 

 of tile-draining, the dead trees were replaced with new ones, and the land 

 thrown out to the rows by repeated ploughing, so that the dead furrow was 



