THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



183 



new; then, the subsoil being more per- 

 meable the water percolated through it, 

 acting as a natural conduit; now, it stands 

 upon the surface, or fills the earth like a 

 spongeftill it is evaporated by the sun 

 and winds. 



What are usually denominated timber 

 iands, are the most liable to damage from 

 this cause. This description of lands 

 have usually a retentive subsoil, particu- 

 larly where you find it to consist in alter- 

 nate ridges and black ash swales; the 

 tydges are esteemed the best wheat lands 

 because they are dryer, but if the super- 

 abundance of moisture were drawn off 

 the swales would be the best, as they 

 have been enriched by receiving the fer- 

 tilizing elements from the high ground 

 for ages, and, therefore, must contain all 

 the grain forming elements in the greatest 

 abundance. But these are the lands 

 which are most liable to damage by win- 

 ter killing. 



We have on one of our best fields for 

 wheat growing a swale, or basin, con- 

 taining about one and a half acres cf this 

 description of land, which, for one or two 

 crops after it was brought under cultiva- 

 tion produced wheat well ; but afterwards 

 utterly failed, for many years not producing 

 enough to pay the expense of harvesting. 

 Three years ago we put in some under- 

 drains, sowing it to wheat in the fall ; the 

 crop was much the best part of the field. 

 We have it now in wheat, and it has 

 gone through the winter with less appa- 

 rent damage than many other parts of 

 the field. The first crop paid all the ex- 

 penses of putting in the ditches ; they 

 have not on\f rendered it permanently va- 

 luable wheat land, but improved it in 

 nearly an equal degree for all other crops. 



If a thorough system of draining was 

 adopted, it would add many millions of 

 bushels of wheat to the annual product 

 of this State. However rich the soil in 

 all other necessary elements, if there be a 

 superabundance of surface water, it will 

 be ruinous to the crop. It is this, more 

 than all her scientific manuring, that has 

 so immensely increased the production of 

 wheat in Great Britain, during the last 

 quarter of a century. By its aid many 



millions of bushels of wheat have been 

 added to the annual product of that island, 

 from lands which forty years ago were 

 esteemed only fit for growing oats and 

 other spring grains. 



But the question will naturally be 

 asked, will it pay the expense % In very 

 many cases, perhaps most, it certainly 

 would. If our farmers could buy good 

 wheat lands for thirty dollars an acre, 

 they would consider it cheap; now, if 

 they can cause that they already possess, 

 which will not now produce wheat, to 

 yield them from twenty to thirty bushels 

 per acre, \vo«ld it not well pay a pretty 

 large outlay to attain so desirable an end, 

 especially when it is remembered that it 

 would make the land more valuable for 

 other crops % 



It is not the object of your correspond- 

 ent to point out how this is to be done, 

 but to call the attention of our farmers to 

 this subject, which is one of very great 

 importance to the agricultural interest in 

 this State. Who will make an experi- 

 ment on a sufficiently large scale to test 

 its expense and its utility? Whoever 

 will do this, will earn the title of a bene- 

 factor to his country; and, if successful, 

 will be sure to have abundance of follow- 

 ers, as our farmers are not such dolts as 

 to refuse to do what they plainly perceive 

 to be for their interest. W. S. 



Wheatland, April 7, 1847. 



ON GROWING CORN. 



This crop is now becoming a very im- 

 portant one to the American farmer, and 

 particularly so to those living in the West- 

 ern States— and we who live in Western 

 New York are not a little interested in 

 the crop, as it will yield us a fair reward 

 for our labor, provided the labor be judi- 

 ciously applied. And who does not feel 

 an abundant assurance that a ready mar- 

 ket is found in Ireland and in various parts 

 of Europe, for all kinds of grain that 

 may be converted into bread ? How long 

 this state of things may remain is yet 

 veiled in the future; it will, however, re- 

 main for years unquestionably. 



