J^o: 199.] 483 



Judge Van Wyck. — These interesting topics, although so often the 

 subject of discussions, are Tcry far from being well understood, 

 generally. A vast proportion of our fanners still continue to plough 

 no deeper than from three to five inches in depth ; they impoverish 

 their lands, nor can they keep so shallojv a surface rich. The 

 mineral aliments of plants, which have gone down deeper, must be 

 brought up again by deep ploughing, and the sub-soil be mixed with 

 the surface soil. Plough deep first with the common plough, then 

 deeper still with the sub-soil plough. This operation produces the 

 effects, in some degree, of under draining. I repeat what I have be- 

 fore observed in regard to draining in our country, that it is as yet 

 required but in a small number of places, and it requires capital to 

 drain on the extensive scale. 



Mr. Carter described the common method of ploughing the prairies 

 of the west. The first operation is like paving, it turns over the sur- 

 face to the depth of one or two inches, after that they plough several 

 incbes deep. They then git rid of the native grass. 



Chairman. — The law is, I believe, imi versa! that wherever there is 

 much clear sunshine, there we ought to plough deep. That the 

 gaseous parts of all manures do certainly rise to the surface, whether 

 by capillary attraction or by the power of positive and negative elec- 

 tricity or otherwise. They rise in loose soils from the depth of many 

 feet J those elements which dissolve, enter into the composition of 

 plants ; if it does not dissolve, it is not manure. Forest soils are 

 usually not more than one foot deep. If manures should descend in 

 the earth our wells would be destroyed ; water is most pure in loose 

 soils. The notion that manures leached downward is a thousand years 

 old. The sub-soil, which is usually of a lighter complexion than the 

 surface soil, alter being ploughed up soon acquires a dark colour. 

 Deep ploughing enables the roots of plants to penetrate deep ; when 

 a rich meadow is covered by deep filling in of earth, that earth soon 

 becomes rich. As to draining, I think it is preposterous to talk of 

 draining in this country as they are obliged to do in England. The 

 evaporation of a day here is equal to that of a week there. 



