108 



THE iLLiisrois f^iim:er. 



to :i degree, often doubling the crops. 

 It is also established as a fact that 

 thoroughly drained fieifls stand drouglit 

 and wet better than uiidrained fields con- 

 taining the same quality of soil. It is 

 not surprising that they should stand 

 wet better, but it seems strange that they 

 should bear drought so -well, and show 

 superior verdure throughout the sum- 

 mer ; and that they should be fit to un- 

 dergo the operations of tillage far ear- 

 lier and later than undrained fields, and 

 that manures produce twice the effect 

 and last four times longer. Another 

 "wonderful advantage of thorouiih drain- 

 age is, that air is admitted into the soil 

 by an underdraught through the chim- 

 nies of the drain. "VYe all know that air 

 and water must be supplied to the roots, 

 and if we can give it to them below, as 

 well as above, so much the better. 



T* 3fC 5fC 5|» *«■" 



The ohject of drainage as many sup- 

 pose is not to deprive the soil of mois- 

 ture, but to regulate the quantity, and 

 not down the plant. If the yearly in- 

 crease of plants on undrained land is 

 five per cent., it will be on drained land 

 ten per cent. Many farmers say they 

 do not believe in draining ; that they 

 had not been successful. The reason 

 was that they did not pay attention to 

 the regular inclination of the drains. 

 Instead of having a uniform fall at the 

 bottom, they left a rising in the bed of 

 the drain, where the descending Avaters 

 accumulated above the level of the ris- 

 ing, causing stagnation and destroyed 

 the fall, the floor of the drains must he 

 perfectly straight in their descent to the 

 outfall. * * * 



Experience has proved that deep un- 

 derdrains even as deep as seven feet 

 yield water peculiarly soft and fine for 

 washing, drinking and culinary pur- 

 poses, and is selected by stock in pre- 

 ference to that obtained by shallow 

 draining which is offensive. Thcrmom- 

 etrlc observations have been made on 

 drainage water to discover the tempera- 

 ture at different periods of the year, to 

 find the effect on soil and climate, and 

 the singular fact has been noticed that, 

 the snow had all melted away on drained 

 land was still lying in some places two 

 feet deep on undrained, showing a great 

 difference in temperature between the 

 two, and the beneficial effects of per- 

 fect dr!>inage. 



Drained land does not, as has been 

 supposed deteriorate, but constantly in- 

 creased in fertility, and retnin the in- 

 crease from season to season, though it 

 may be washed by heavy rains every 

 week, if manures are supplied even in a 

 liquid form they do not find their way 

 to the drain, but are retained chemically 

 by the soil, this is proved by tlio fact 

 that the water passes off as pure as crys- 

 tal and fit to drink. 



I trust I have stated in a manner 

 clear enougii to be sufficiently plain, to 

 every one, some of tlie advantages to be 

 secured by the system of drainage, and 

 that some such plan must be adopted in 

 many parts of our State to render a sure 

 and valuable return for the labor of the 

 farmer is evident, and it is to be hoped 

 that some of our intelligent farmers Avill 

 give it a test and be the pioneer of a 

 system so important and valuable. 



SUBSOILING. 



I don't care how deep the top soil 

 may be. Any farmer, no matter how 



stupid or slow to notice or adopt new 

 plans Or improvements in his mode of 

 farming, knows that a deep plowing is 

 more likely to produce and secure a 

 good crop, than shallow plowing ; and 

 if the principle is good at all, it is 

 good all the way, and is worth adopting, 

 or, at least, worth a thorough trial to 

 test its value. I could give instances, 

 where, with ns and among my neigh- 

 bors, the plan of the double plowing 

 has been tried and in every case fully 

 proved the principle; and I take it that 

 so much is already known that it is 

 useless for me to occupy space to prove 

 what no one can deny. I am well 

 Satisfied that no instrument is more 

 needed, or is of more value for success- 

 ful and systematic farming, than a good 

 subsoil plow — one that is adopted to 

 the soil of our State — and that none 

 will better repay its use by increasing 

 the production of the soil, in removing 

 many difficulties now experienced by the 

 great variations of our climate, to over- 

 come the effects of extreme wet or dry 

 seasons, and to protect our winter wheat 

 from the great liability'of freezing out 

 and winter killing. Deep soil will not 

 always produce good crops if let alone, 

 but can always be made to produce 

 them if properly handled. The subsoil, 

 or that Avhich lies next under the depth 

 the surface plow is run, is sometimes so 

 hard and compact that it is impossible 

 in ordinary seasons for the tender and 

 minute roots of plants to penetrate it ; 

 and although it may possess every cle- 

 ment of great production, it lies as use- 

 less as a bed of rock would, fur the 

 purpose of feeding the plants. To pro- 

 duce large and healthy corn or growth 

 of any kind of grain or grass, it is ne- 

 cessary to have large, long, and healthy 

 roots ; and such roots cannot grow un- 

 less they have a mellow and well pre- 

 pared soil to penetrate. But with such 

 a chance for a lull and strong root, the 

 plant will correspond, and with a thin 

 and shallow soil the roots must also bo 

 weak and poor, and the crop will cor- 

 respond. The roots cannot collect and 

 convey to the plant the needed nourish- 

 ment to give a largo product, unless the 

 roots can have a chance to "spread 



themselves '' sulliciently to draw such 

 nutriment from the soil in which they 

 grow. Considerable discussion has pass- 

 ed among agriculturists at the East 

 and in England, in regard to the form of 

 the plow wanted — whether one that 

 would lift the subsoil and spread it on the 

 surface, or one that would go like a mole 

 through the soil, breaking and pulveriz- 

 ing it and letting it fall back to its ori- 

 ginal place but in a broken and loose 

 mass, were best ; and much information 

 has been gained from such discussion 

 and has established the fact that both 

 have their advantages, subject to the 

 quality and nature of the soil. For in- 

 stance, when the subsoil is of a superior 

 quality to the surface soil, which may 

 have become impoverished or worn out 

 by constant croppmg and neglect to 

 maintain its productive qualities by ar- 

 tificial supplies — it is of benefit to raise 

 the subsoil to the surface to invigorate 

 the old worn out fields; but where, as 

 is the case on the surface of our rich 

 prairies, the surface soil is equal in all 

 its parts and sometimes better than the 

 subsoil, all that is wanted is so to loosen 

 and prepare it that the plants growing 

 in it shall have a full chance to spread 

 and extend thembclves to gain the most 

 nourishment "and support. And I give 

 some reasons (which, if not all my own, 

 are none the less good,) in evidence of 

 its value and some of the advantages 

 which I think will result from its use. 

 1st. One object in loosening the soil is 

 to admit roots to a sufficient depth to 

 hold the plant in its position, to obtain 

 nutriment necessary to its full growth, 

 to receive moisture from the lower por- 

 tions of the soil. It must be evident 

 that roots penetrating the soil to the 

 depth of two feet or more anchor the 

 plants more securely than those which 

 are spread more thinly near the sur- 

 face. 2d. If plants will grow better in 

 a soil of six inches deep than in one of 

 three inches, there is no reason why 

 they should not be benefitted in pro- 

 portion by disturbing the soil to the 

 whole depth to which roots will travel, 

 which is usually more than three feet. 

 The minute roots of corn and wheat 

 will, if allowed by proper cultivation, 

 go to the depth of three feet and more, 

 every inch of the soil being occupied by 

 the roots. 3d. It deepens the surface 

 soil, because it admits roots into the 

 subsoil, where they decay and leave 

 elements which improve the fertilizing 

 qualities of the soil. The subsoil often 

 contains matters which are deficient in 

 the surface soil, but by the use of the 

 subsoil plow they are made available. 

 4th. Soils are rendered earlier in the 

 spring, because the water which render- 

 ed them cold, heavy and untillable, is 

 earlier removed, leaving them earlier in 

 a growing condition. 5th. The throw 



