258 ColmarHs European Agriculture. 



REVIEWS. 



Art. 1. European Agriculture and Rural Economy^ from 

 personal observation. By Henry Colman. Vol. II., Part 

 6, pp. 104. Boston. 1846. 



The first number of the second volume of this work is be- 

 fore us, and is devoted to a continuation of the subjects com- 

 menced in the last. They are as follows : — 



XC. Paring and Burning; XCI. Burning Land; XCII. 

 Admixture of Soils ; XCIII. Improvement of Peat Lands ; 

 XCIV. Warping ; XCV. An Experiment ; XCVI. Straighten- 

 ing a River ; XCVII. Work in Ireland ; XCVIII. Drainage ; 

 XCIX. The Drainage of Farms; C. National Characteris- 

 tics — a Digression ; CI. Tile and Pipe Draining. 



The subjects are subdivided under numerous heads, and 

 fully illustrate the practice of each. The improvement of 

 peat lands has already been much discussed in our agricultu- 

 ral periodicals, and the subject is well understood by our far- 

 mers, and numerous very successful experiments have been 

 already published ; a knowledge of the mode in which opera- 

 tions for the same purpose are carried on by skilful English 

 agriculturists cannot, however, but prove of great advantage. 

 The subject of drainage is not so well understood, though not 

 less important, and but little attention has been devoted to 

 the improvement of lands by this system, which has recently 

 attracted so much attention in Scotland. Mr. Colman's re- 

 marks, therefore, are highly useful, as he discusses the matter 

 in full, accompanying his observations with plans and sec- 

 tions of all kinds of drains, as well as engravings of the tools 

 with which the operations are performed. We have had 

 occasion to lay some thousands of feet of drains, in a stiff 

 clay sub-soil, and can appreciate the importance of drainage, 

 which has so essentially changed the aspect of thousands of 

 acres of land in England and Scotland; and we commend the 

 observations of Mr. Colman to all who wish to follow the 

 example of eminent agriculturists abroad ; it will be the 

 means, if properly carried out, of bringing into cultivation 

 large quantities of land, in the vicinities of our large cities 



