MR. gage's address. i9 



of Lombardy is ascribed to the practice of irrigation. 

 In the richest parts of the Milanise, the grass, chiefly 

 clover, is cut three or four times a year. Your at- 

 tention, I perceive, from your pubhcations, has been 

 turned to this mode of fertihzing the soil ; and when 

 the population shall be more dense amongst us, may 

 we not beheve, that the capabilities afforded, by 

 our many streams, of enriching the land, will be fully 

 improved ? Says a distinguished chemist and practi- 

 cal agriculturalist,* — " of all the agents which may be 

 employed as amendments of the soil, there is none 

 of which the action is more powerful than that of 

 water. Not only does it contribute to the nourish- 

 ment of the plant, by its decomposition, which de- 

 posits in the vessels its elementary principles ; but it 

 acts still further, by promoting the fermentation of 

 manures, and by conveying into the vegetable organs 

 the juices and salts. Independently of these proper- 

 ties, water dilutes the sap which has become thicken- 

 ed in the body of the plant, and facilitates its circula- 

 tion ; the soil is also softened by water, and thus ren- 

 dered more permeable by the roots and by atmos- 

 pheric air, which supplies them with the moisture it 

 contains." Frequent irrigations are abundantly use- 

 ful to poor, light or sandy soils. 



The improvement of the soil will ever be a promi- 

 nent object with intelligent farmers. The best earths 

 will be, comparatively, unproductive, unless thorough- 

 ly divided and softened by the plough, spade and hoe ; 

 thus manures which have been sunk by the rains, will 

 be brought near to the surface ; roots have a better 



* Cliaptal. 



