No. 129.] 179 



purse in constructing them and letting the contents of this out 

 more freely than the manure from the skies would repair and 

 replenish for a very long period. Swamps and morasses, or very 

 low wet ground receiving the drains of hills or high lands around, 

 might sometimes be drained on the English plan to advantage, 

 especially when accompanied with a long purse, or plenty of 

 means. A gentleman on the banks of the Hudson, in this State, 

 a good scientific and practical farmer, and with ample means, 

 lately informed us that he had drained according to the most 

 approved English system within the last summer (1851) about 

 twenty-six acres of such ground — a perfect swamp covered most 

 of the year with water, in doing which he struck, in the sub- 

 soil, a rich marl bed, composed a greater part of lime, which 

 would make an excellent manure for his dry upland. He also 

 informed us that he had so managed his drains as to collect water 

 enough from them, and preserve it, for irrigating, to a considera- 

 ble extent, some of his grounds ; that from all these advantages, 

 including the increased production of these twenty-six acres, he 

 had a fair prospect of being speedily remunerated for his outlay 

 in the operation. Others, in following such an example, might 

 not be so fortunate as to strike a rich marl bed ; but still, by 

 proper management, they might procure water enough from their 

 drains to serve the purpose of irrigation. This gentleman also 

 informed us that he had underdrained upland of a peculiar char- 

 acter and soil, aud meagre in its products, so as to ameliorate it to 

 such a degree as to yield him abundant crops. 



Most European travellers and writers on agriculture say, that 

 underdraining on the continent is practiced to a very limited 

 extent compared to what it is in Great Britain. The soil there 

 is generally much drier, especially in France, Italy, some parts of 

 Germany and the low countries. These depend more upon the 

 natural drains, large and §mall rivers, aud improving them as we 

 do here to a certain extent, and must do more to make them more 

 ejQicient drains. Like us, in France, Italy and Switzerland, they 

 have more and higher mountains than England; these make 

 more and larger rivers, which sweep over a greater extent of 

 country, drain a greater surface and, at the same time, make 



