AROrXD THE FARM. 271 



first day I gave a gill, on the next a half a pint, and on the third a pint, and 

 it was very soon apparent that that was enough both for the worms and the 

 horse. Large quantities of both kinds passed, and the horse appeared to be 

 on the point of passing too, but he didn't; and soon after aU the usual symp- 

 toms of wonns had disappeared, and the horse commenced to improve rap- 

 idly in flesh and general condition, and is now in better condition than I 

 have ever seen him, and still improving. 



" I also experimented with kerosene on cut nails to make them take the 

 place of wrought nails in a cart body I was building. I brought the nails to 

 a red heat, dropped them into the oil and let them stand until cool, when 

 they could be clinched, bent and twisted into any desirable shape almost 

 with as much case and safety as a piece of wire, of the same size. My cart 

 body required 100 naUs, for which any blacksmith would have charged me 

 one dollar. Two pounds of ten penny nails cost ten cents, leaving a balance 

 of ninety cents in favor of the kerosene. This is a small item, but the farmer 

 can save many such during the year, and it is the little things that pay." 



Draining "IVet Land. — The objects of draining are: 



1. To carry off surface water, by open drains. 



2. To lower the water line. 



3. To prevent waste of the snrface-appUed manure, by washing off the 

 soluble elements before they become incorporated in the soil. 



4. To put the soil in a condition to be benefitted by the use of lime, ashes 

 and alkaline substances. There is no use in manuring or liming land that 

 lies under water half the year. 



5. To make the land a better absorbent of ammoniacal, nitrogenous and 

 carbonic acid gases — so necessary for the growth of all crops. 



6. To make the soil more porous, so that rains and melted snow shall 

 descend through the soil, leaving their fertilizing elements in the earth that 

 has acted as a filter, uistead of flooding the surface and carrying all their 

 rich freights off of the land. 



The infinitely wise Father has pro\ided a vast reservoir of the richeat 

 agricultural elements which Ho pours upon the earth, in the rain and snow, 

 for us to utilize. The science of agriculture is teaching the wise how to Be- 

 cure and utilize these elements. One way to do it is, to render the soil 

 porous and friable, ready to receive and hold the nitrogen and carbonic acid 

 gas that is precipitated upon it in showers and snow. The nitrogen thus 

 precipitated by rains goes down to the alkaline elements constantly being 

 Uberated in the soil and unites with the potash, soda and hme, forming the 

 nitrates of hme and soda and potash, thus making the soil one vast labora- 

 tor}', on nature's grand scale, for the production of a fertihzer that will never 

 deplete but constantly enrich the lands of the intelhgent agriculturist. 



7. To enable the farmer to start his plow from ten days to three weeks 

 earUer in the spring, and to keep it going when lands undrained are unfit to 

 work. The time lost on undrained lands va. the spring and fall and after 

 hsavy rains, which can be improved on well drained lands, vnH be sufliciant 

 in from one to three years to satisfactorily drain most farms. 



8. To make the land earlier and later. "Well drained laud is mnoh 

 warmer and advances the growth of plants faster than land saturated with 

 water. As wo can start our plows from ten days to three weeks earUer on 

 drained fields than on vmdrained, there is more than a corresponding differ- 

 ence in maturing of the crops in consequence of a warmer and quicker soil. 

 And as the plow can run later in the season when the foil raios we made to 



