The Drainage of Grass Land 



It is beyond the scope of this work to treat the subject of 

 di-ainage exhaustively. But in offering a few practical hints 

 on draining operations, I propose to refer to some of the laws 

 which render it impossible to maintain a first- class pasture 

 unless land is properly drained either by natural or by 

 artificial means. 



An impression widely prevails that, however necessaiy 

 effectual drainage may be for other farm crops, grass land 

 may with impunity be left undrained. This is only one of 

 the careless traditions which former generations have handed 

 down concerning pastures. No one who is accustomed to 

 examine water-logged meadows can faU to be impressed by 

 the worthless character of the herbage they produce. If there 

 were no cure, or the expense of the remedy were out of pro- 

 portion to the benefit to be derived from it, apathy might be 

 excusable. As to the greater part of the undrained grass 

 land which is now lying in a comparatively unprofitable con- 

 dition through stagnant water, there is no doubt that the 

 vegetation can be immensely improved in quahty. Drainage 

 of pastures has never been known to be other than beneficial ; 

 and in most instances the quantity of hay or feed wUl also be 

 greatly augmented, although from some land ah-eady yield- 

 ing a large bulk of herbage of a low quaUty the increase after 

 draining may not be immediately apparent. The total weight 

 may even be temporarily diminished, but as the loss will be 

 limited to those plants which possess little or no feeding 



