33 



measure from the rains and melting snows, a part of which is held as 

 the water sinks through the soil by the forces which have been re- 

 ferred to, but especially in seasons of prolonged absence of rain is this 

 water drawn by capillary attraction from the body of hydrostatic 

 water below. Just as oil is drawn through the wick to feed the flame, 

 so water is drawn from the great reservoir of hydrostatic water below 

 (the soil above the water table serving as the wick) to supply the loss 

 near the surface, due to exposure to sun and wind and to the demands 

 of vegetation. 



The amount of capillary water in that portion of the soil which lies 

 above the water table will vary in all cases with the distance above 

 the water table. . That part of the soil which lies close to the water 

 table contains relatively large amounts of water, while the proportion, 

 supposing the character of the soil to remain uniform, gradually de- 

 creases as the distance above the water table increases, or as the 

 surface is approached. 



The proportion of capillary water in the soil which is desirable 

 varies to a considerable extent in the case of different plants, but, as 

 a general rule, it may be stated that in the immediate vicinity of the 

 water table, in soils of fine texture, at least, the proportion of water 

 will be too great for the best activity of the roots of most plants. It is 

 only when a point lying at a distance of from one to two feet above the 

 water table in most soils is reached that we find the most favorable 

 proportions of water and air for the root development and activity of 

 most plants. This fact, as will be pointed out later, has an important 

 bearing upon the proper depth of drains. 



Special Reasons for the Importance of Drainage in Massa- 

 chusetts. 



The owner of land or the capitalist looking for investment must 

 naturally carefully consider the question of probable returns on money 

 invested in drainage. It is the belief of the writer that money thus 

 used will prove not only one of the safest, but also one of the most 

 profitable, investments in many cases. Space will not allow a full dis- 

 cussion of the subject, but the following are among the more important 

 of the points to be taken into consideration. 



1. The soils which are in need of drainage are in general of much 

 greater fertility than the average soils of the State. The low lands 

 especially come under this class, for from time immemorial they have 

 received the wash of the higher lands, and they have, moreover, in 

 many cases been enriched by the gradual accumulation of organic 

 matter. It follows, therefore, that these low lands, if reUeved of 

 surplus water, become not only good farm lands, but that their value 

 for farm and garden purposes will be much greater than that of much 

 of our upland. The necessity for drainage, however, is not confined 

 to the low lands. There are many elevated tracks of land, and es- 



