1408, toy, 101, till EFFECTS OF DRAINAGE. 221 



of a proper physical constitution, with all kinds of soil. Yet its importance 

 is very much underrated, thus far, by the agriculturists of our State, and even 

 where its intrinsic value is acknowledged, it is very commonly considered as 

 being "too expensive an improvement" for the present condition of things. 



This may bo a sound objection in the case of the squatter, who intends only 

 to skim off the cream of the soil, and then move westward for more ; but it caa 

 hardly be considered rational even now, with those who mean, in general, to cast 

 their lot with the community where they reside, and to enjoy the general 

 improvements, and the comforts and blessings of civilization, towards which 

 every individual member of a commonwealth contributes his share of money, 

 labor and trouble — which share he is compelled to contribute over again, each 

 time that he shifts his citizenship to the westward. — There are few chapters in 

 statistics which otter a more curious comment upm human nature, than would 

 an estimate of the three items above mentioned, annually spmt in the South- 

 west in "moving" on the plea that the improvement of the old lands will not 

 " pay ; " or the money lost in poor crops for want of a little deeper tillage, or 

 drainage, which might have rendered them bountiful. Certainly, of all last 

 expedients in agriculture, that of submitting to poor crops will ''pay " least. 



408. Effects of Drainage — The advantages of drainage arc not confined to 

 land which is absolutely wet, in the ordinary acceptation of the term ; though 

 in these it is the most needful, and the first step towards rendering them any- 

 thing more than a lottery, from which the agriculturist draws at least as many 

 blanks as prizes. Its beneficial effects will be experienced in all those soils, in 

 which water can remain stagnant, at any time at a less depth than three or four 

 feet bene.th the surface. 



The necessity of access of air to the soil and roots of plants has already been 

 dwelt upon (if 361, 402). Now it is evident that such access cannot take place, 

 and the roots will not penetrate, where the soil is saturated with wa'er.t Lrke 

 shallow tillage, want of drainage compels the roots of plants to remain near the 

 surface of the ground, where they are not only greatly exposed to all the vicis- 

 situdes of the weather, but are also compelled to Siek their nourishment within 

 very nirrow limits And in this we find the explanation of the fact, v\ hich at 

 at first appears to many to involve a contradiction in terms, viz : that while 

 drainage is obviously a safeguard against excessive wet, it is so likewise against 

 drouth. It loosens and aerates the soil and subsoil, in such a manner that the 

 roots of plants are enabled to penetrate deeper; to strata which are rarely or 

 never sufficiently affected by drouth to allow of injury to vegetation. 



4<>9. But it is not moisture alone which the plant seeks and finds in the lower 

 strata; it al -o receives from them an additional supply of nourishment, which 

 wq^d otherwise have remained inactive—because the roots as well as the fallowing 

 action of the atmosphere (.17357) would not have penetrated there. Hence drain- 

 age subserves, in a great degree, the purposes of suhsoding. It even exercises 

 the mechanical action of tillage in this, that the more frequent alternations of wet 

 and dry, which are thus effected in the soil and subsoil, serve to breik up and 

 pulverize them in the same manner that we see even the hardest clays speedily 

 cracking and falling to crumbs, when exposed io the weather. 



410. Drain ige of Clay Soils — The observation just referred to will explain 

 the lact, at first disbelieved by many, that even heavy clay soils can be success- 

 full v imdenlrained, and that their tillage is rendered much easierin consequence 

 of the opention. The water which in their ordinary cond tion, rem tins in 

 them a -d renders them tough an 1 plastic, is afforded an opportin ty of escaping 

 through the drains; in consequence, the vvholj miss of the subsoil shrinks 

 and split-, so a-! to ba traversed by nuin -rous fine fissures, which allow the water 

 to percolate with ease O. is minifest that tins mist greatly facilitate the dejp 

 tillage (IT 403) so necessary in such soil-*. 



411. Draimge Wurms Sails —The broad statement, however, that dra : ning 

 prevents injury lro.n wet, hardly does justice to the many positive advantages 



