PREPARATION OP SOIL FOR ORCHARD. 215 



to fall into a decline, or consumption, if condemned to 

 wet feet, as would a delicate girl under similar exposure. 



The expense of under-draining is the only objection that 

 can possibly be urged against it ; even this is no real ob- 

 jection, for it lias been repeatedly proved that the outlay, 

 whatever it be, insures such increase of crops as to pay a 

 good interest upon the investment, except where the nat- 

 ural under-drainage of the soil, by a porous stratum of 

 rock or gravel, already provides a ready discharge of the 

 superabundant water. It is thus only a question of the 

 cash capital to be invested in the business, for most of our 

 orchard sites are of such a character of soil as to be im- 

 mensely benefited by the process. With many of u,s, in 

 this country, the capital is not to be "had, or can not be 

 spared, to put underground ; our means are limited, and 

 we do not drain our farms, as we should. 



Surface drainage may be more cheaply effected, and, on 

 land at all flat and retentive of moisture, it should never 

 be neglected. It may be done while preparing the soil 

 for planting done with the plow. It has already been 

 premised that the orchard site should be elevated ; such 

 land is generally somewhat undulating ; indeed, the flat- 

 test field that should ever be planted, will always present 

 some inequalities of surface. Let these be noted before 

 laying oif the lands for the plow ; calculate to have the 

 furrows cross these inequalities of surface, and gather the 

 furrows in narrow lands, lapping them together just where 

 the row of trees is to be placed. This process may be re- 

 peated, and thus quite a ridge will be thrown up for the 

 trees, and a corresponding depression will be left in the 

 middle of the space between the rows, which . will serve 



