876 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK ix. 



subsoil to a sufficient depth. If the trial prove successful, the expense 

 ' of putting in tiles may be saved, and the fertility of the land will be 

 increased. But in many cases it will be necessary both to break 

 up the subsoil and to put in pipes before effectual drainage can 

 be secured." 



Having succeeded in draining the land, the next point for the 

 consideration of the agriculturist is, the use to which he can apply 

 the drainage water. That coming from high ground can often be 

 applied to the irrigation of grass-lands situated at a lower level. 

 When the land drained lies low, the centrifugal pump may be of 

 use in raising the water for the purpose of working machinery, or 

 an ordinary water-mill will effect the same object. The ingenious 

 Shone system of pneumatic drainage may be even more advantageously 

 applied. Or, if water-power is not required on the farm, the drainage 

 water may be filtered, and applied to various useful purposes about 

 the house or homestead. Here, as in all other agricultural opera- 

 tions, nothing should be wasted, but an endeavour made to derive 

 the utmost benefit even from that which at first sight would appear 

 to be valueless or mere refuse. 



The composition of drainage waters is a subject of high practical 

 importance. It has been investigated with extreme care at Rothamsted, 

 and the results are recorded in various volumes of the Journal of 

 the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England. A general rdsumg will 

 be found in Dr Fream's little book l " Soils and their Properties." 



CHAPTER XII. 

 ON IRRIGATION. 



WATER, although injurious to land when it lodges in or stagnates 

 upon it, produces a salutary effect where the land can be flooded 

 and dried at pleasure. The knowledge of this has given rise to the 

 practice of watering meadows, a system adopted, wherever circum- 

 stances admit of it, under the name of " Irrigation." 



This practice, which was not introduced into England until nearly 

 the end of the seventeenth century, has been in use from the earliest 

 periods of history. The oldest book in the world gives an account of 

 it : Moses speaks of the children of Israel, when in Egypt, sowing 

 their seed and watering it with the foot. 2 They raised the water 



1 " Soils and their Properties." By W. Fream. London, George Bell & Sons. 2.?. 6d. 



2 Deut. xi. 10. 



