CHAPTER XVII 

 DRAINING THE LAND 



A wise man once was asked : "What is the most valu- 

 able discovery in agriculture?" He answered: "Drain- 

 age." 



In draining the land, we are concerned, for the most 

 part, with the surplus water and its removal. For drain- 

 age acts thus : it removes the gravitational water 

 the kind that often injures plants, the kind that drowns 

 the roots, and it increases the quantity of capillary water 

 the kind useful to plants, the kind that draws into solu- 

 tion the needed plant-food salts, and secures them for 

 roots and stems and leaves and for all the growing tis- 

 sues of the plant. 



Here are some of the good things that drainage does : 



1. It deepens the soil in which grow plant roots. 



2. It better aerates the soil. 



3. It enables manure to act more beneficially. 



4. It allows a better warming of the soil. 



5. It lengthens the season. 



6. It permits tillage operations to be done more easily. 



7. It enables plants to resist drought, because the roots 

 go into the ground earlier in the season. 



8. It prevents washing. 



9. It makes the soil more sanitary. 



10. It makes better crops. 



Deepening the soil. It is perfectly evident to any 

 thinking man that a soil that is well drained is a more 

 habitable place for plant roots, than one filled with stand- 

 ing water. We do not need to theorize about this propo- 



