KEW EXGLAXD FAHMER. 



JrxT 



PLOWING — DBAIKTSQ. 



On tlie iTih instant, we were plowing with a 

 keaTT pair of cattk and horse oa a side hiil, where 

 fes footXDg was fine a»^ g^<^ — ^^'^^ where, four 

 years ago, a naa eould not walk without wetting 

 ^ feet aad occaakniaBy gettnig aaked. TWa 

 ^auge was effected by drainmg. CoHunon pipe 

 ^a» were pot dowB foar feet below the guifaee, 

 sad th« draias bid twenty feet apart. Jhe grass 

 yp„^ ja last sammer and gave a heaTy crop, and 

 ftow, m the midst of a long storm and generally 

 •wet aeaaoa, tie land is in admiraWe condition to 

 le pknrrf and i^ted. 



We hare practiced drainmg oar wet lands, and 

 W&ere that we engage in no operation on the 

 fcnn that is more piofiuble. It is wonderfal, 

 vhat a change is effected in soeh knd in the 

 ^ffgne of two years. From a wet, stiAy, h^ry 

 tod, it beeves pOTons and friable, droppfajg into 

 ine grams when stirred, and rendering it light 

 and pleasant to cultivate. The change in its pro- 

 dttcuis also as great as that of iu mechanical 

 eonfition. Water graasea, hassoeka and rushes 

 disappear entirely, and sneet timothy, red-top 

 and clovei take their places. On a poni<yi of the 

 djained land of which we bare spoken, the herds- 

 gnss stood more than ffAir fed hujh,—&nA. came 

 Tritbout sowing any seed to bring it- 



"We believe the whole matter of drainage is too 

 Hiueh neglected- It will certainly bring money 

 to the pocket of the farmer, but as it comes indi- 

 rectly, the sources from which it springs are lost 

 light of, and the work is neglected. 



On this subject, we have quoted various author- 

 ities to sustain the opinions which we have from 

 time to tnne advanwd, and among others that of 

 Mr. John Johnston, who resides rear Seneca 

 l,ake, m the State of New York. He &ayg tile 

 draming pays the expense in two seasons, some- 

 tnes in one. In 1847, he bought 10 acres of 

 Inid, a perfect quagmire, to get an outlet, and in 

 1848 harvested 80 bushels of com per acre, which 

 paid for the knd and drainage. Another piece 

 of 20 acres was drained at an expense of about 

 $30 an acre, and the first crop was over 83 bush- 

 els per acre, where before not more than 10 were 

 harvested. A part of the field averaged 94 bush- 

 els per acre, this being 84 bushels over the former 

 yiekL One-half of the manure used before drain- 

 ing was found ample, for maximum crops, so ben- 

 eficial was the removal of water. 



Mr. Johnston says he never made money till he 

 drained, and that occupiers of comparatively dry 

 "land will find advantage in draining. 



His ferm comprises about 300 acres. His yield 

 of wheat is from 30 to 40 bushels per acre. He 

 uses salt at the rate of five bushels per acre. 



He recommends farmers not to use over 2-inch 

 tiles Corlatezal drains. He makes his main draiiu 



6 OT 8 inches deeper than his laterals. An error 

 he fell into was in having too masy drains on low 

 land, aad too few on high land. To drain effect- 

 iveiy the supply of water above must be cut oS^ 

 then fewer drains waU be needed below. Here is 

 the secret. 



These opmions come from one of the most 

 thoroughly practical men in this country ; a maa 

 who is independent, and who has acquired his 

 mean? through an intelligsnt, scientific industry. 



TRIAIi OP MO^WTNG MJLOHtNUS. 

 It is now some twelve years since the mowing 

 machine was introdueed an^ng us, and, somewhat 

 later, became common on New England farms. 

 The prejudice that so long existed against them 

 has been obliged to yield, so that now, when help 

 : is scarce and high, the most inveterate advocates 

 for sticking to old "notions" and the old scythe 

 are quite willing to horrr/vs a mowing machine for 

 a few days, to say the least- They will condescend 

 to do this, when the practical mower demands two 

 dollars and fifty cents per day, and board, for his 

 labor! 



I Since the introduction of the first rude and im- 

 perfect machine, great improvements have been 

 made in them, and new ones devised of more beau- 

 tiful and convenient form, more substantial in 

 1 structure and yet of much lighter draft, and less 

 ■ weight of metal and wood. 



We have no means at hand of iiscertaining how 

 many different patterns, or patented machines 

 have been introdaced and recommended, but the 

 \ number must be quite large. A manufacturer of 

 them recently informed us that he thought he 

 could enumerate J?/?j/ different kinds ! Out of the 

 ten or twelve kinds that we have tested, or seen 

 j under trial, we eould not, conscientiously, recom- 

 : mend more than one-half of them, and this com- 

 j parative number will probably hold good in aU 

 j that have been made. If such is the case, the 

 loss to the farmer in purchasing machines unfit for 

 the purposes for which they were constructed, 

 must be very large. The money loss is not all. 

 Disappointment, delay, vexation, and want of 

 confidence in all farm-machinery will come in to 

 swell the aggregate loss. This should no longer 

 continue. Some means should be suggested to 

 ascertain for a certainty what really good machines 

 there are, — machines that have stood the test of 

 several years trial,-s— and when this is done, the 

 fact should be made known to all ^e farmers in 

 the land. 



In order to get at the greatly needed informa- 

 tion, we suggest that a grand trial be had of the 

 different mowing machines that can be got together, 

 during the coming haying season, where all inter- 

 ested may attend and judge for themselves which 

 is the best machine among them all, and the one 



