No 216.] 783 



portant. There are also here many places where the system of drain- 

 age is very useful, not only for the purpose of bringing lands which 

 are useless into cultivation, but for another very valuable object, that 

 of salubrity — for many of these moist or swampy lands generate dan- 

 gerous fevers, or fever and ague at least. So that any plan for rid- 

 ding the neighborhood of such a nuisance, is exceedingly worthy of 

 our attention. England, has of necessity, become expert in drain- 

 age. 



Very little is either done or known about the practice of irriga- 

 tion among us. This, however, is far more essential for us than 

 drainage; for we have many dry and sandy soils, and a hot sun to 

 exhale the moisture. If we could cheaply water many of our fields, 

 the result would be great. But almost any plan for irrigation would 

 prove to be too expensive for us. The effects in some countries of 

 irrigation are very fine. Even in the moist climate of Edinburgh, in 

 Scotland, they have brought into high fertility sterile lands, by means 

 of irrigation. Those lands formerly worth a rent of two pounds per 

 acre, are brought to be worth a rent of thirty, and some forty pounds 

 per acre, so rich have they been rendered by irrigaticn carrying on 

 to them the city filth. The more impure the water, the better for 

 the land. All surface water is fertilizing to soil. The irrigation 

 should always be conducted so as not to suflfer water to stand still on 

 lands even for an hour, but to cause it to flow over in a moderate 

 way. If a scum should form on the surface of the water, injury 

 will be the result. These methods are well understood and practiced 

 in Lombardy, in Italy, and there are many places in our country 

 where it can be done with great benefit. 



J. S. Skinner stated he could confidently aver that no man could 

 relish more than him discussions of this sort, that he would always 

 attend punctually, in the confident expectation of deriving benefit 

 from the researches and experience of the members ; but that unfor- 

 tunately he could not hear one word that was said, and that time 

 was too precious with him, and the more so as he grew older every 

 day. He wished to be informed in time, what were the subjects to 

 be discussed, and then he should be happy to prepare himself for 

 them at the following meetings of the club, and would endeavor to 

 throw light upon the subjects — such feeble light as he could, still 

 under the mortification of not being able in the discussion to benefit 

 by the correction of his own errors, which might be made by the 

 more extensive knowledge of other members of this Club. 



