No. 216] 805 



the water passes rapidly over the land, seizes new and nourishing 

 gases constantly from the air, and yields them to the hungry leaves 

 and roots of the plants, with ^yhich it comes in contact. Thus fully 

 demonstrating the value of running water for the purposes of irrigation 

 If you are not satisfied that this is the case, permit the water to 

 stagnate on a small portion of your finest irrigated field, where your 

 sweetest and mopt luxuriant grass now abounds; and you will find in 

 a short time it will all die, and give place to wild aquatic races to 

 which such land soon becomes congenial Continued immersion of 

 lands in water always produces chemical matters, unwholesome to 

 the finer grasses, but highly beneficial to useless marsh plants, flags, 

 and mosses. 



I would recommend the farmer when he drains his lands, always, 

 if practicable, to control his head waters, springs, &c., for the pur- 

 pose of irrigating the same fields in cases of necessity. They may 

 afford him invaluable manures. For example, if they are muddy, 

 they contain solid matter, which in their course over the fields depo- 

 sit layers of valuable enriching manure; it soon becomes soluble and 

 fit food for plants. Such is the fertilizing effect produced annually 

 to the lands bordering on the Nile and Ganges, by the overflow of 

 those great rivers. Or they m?y contain in solution the liquid ma- 

 nures of the barn yard, as we all know to our sorrow, that in this 

 country, it is the usual practice of our farmers, in ten cases out of 

 twenty, to construct their barn yards in such a manner, as to enable 

 the liquids to find their way to the nearest stream. They not unfre- 

 quently lead rivulets of water directly through their barn enclosures, 

 for the purpose of watering stock, and in their exit, of course nearly 

 all the valuable properties of the manure accompany them. What 

 would be the value of such a discharge over the field? I answer, 

 five crops of grass in a single season. I would rather have one 

 hogshead of liquid manure from the horse stable, than ten loads of 

 pure cow dung. 



If the spring passes through lime formations, it becomes thoroughly 

 impregnated with the carbonate, which it deposits in its course, and 

 thus without expense to the proprietor, limes his land in a form most 

 conducive to the requirements of vegetation, as no plant can make 

 use of manure for nourishment, in any other than a soluble condition. 

 Again, many springs contain muriate of magnesia, salt, gypsum, 

 muriate of soda, silica and organic matters, all 6f which are indis- 

 pensable to a healthy growth of plants. These facts are S'jfficient 

 to show sagacious farmers the advantages to be derived from the free 



