THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



253 



growth of ihe plants — in some cases, for the 

 elements of these manures to be taken up by 

 the plants. But water in too great abundance 

 destroys these manures, and carries them away. 

 Rainwater, falling upon the surface, when the 

 temperature of the air is higher than that of the 

 soil, contributes to increase this temperature of 

 the soil. Water, when stagnant in a soil, di- 

 minishes its temperature. The extreme wet- 

 ness of a soil renders it difficult to be worked ; 

 impedes the sowing or planting; often destroys 

 the seed and the crop; occasions it to become 

 poached or inaccessible to animals ; and in many 

 other ways may be said to make the cultivation 

 of such soils hopeless. 



"The rainwater which falls upon land may 

 be detained by two circumstances — the first by 

 the impervious nature of the upper soil, which 

 may be an adhesive and strong clay, through 

 which the rain cannot percolate ; the second, by 

 an impervious or indurated subsoil, either of clay 

 or of hard pan, which holds fast the water when 

 it reaches it, and consequently the upper por- 

 tions become saturated or flooded. ]n respect 

 to the former, the adhesive clay, though there 

 have been some failures, yet there are many re- 

 markable instances, where, by a system of un- 

 der draining and subsoil ploughing, the hardest 

 soils have been opened and rendered compara- 

 tively dry and friable. When a ditch or drain 

 has been dug, the tenacity of the neighboring 

 soil has been loosened, and the drying of the 

 soil in the hot sun of summer has, under such 

 circumstances, caused it to crack in various di- 

 rections, and, these fissures being once opened, 

 channels for the trickling of water have been 

 formed ; others have followed from contiguity, 

 and these adhesive soils, by a course of cultiva- 

 tion, have been loosened and reduced to a con- 

 dition of unlooked-for dryness and fineness. — 

 Where the wetness of the soil has been occa- 

 sioned by a hard and impervious subsoil, this 

 evil has found no other effectual remedy than in 

 deep draining, and the thorough breaking up of 

 this hard layer by the subsoil plough. The 

 stratum below is often found pervious to the 

 water, which makes for itself a ready exit, when 

 it once reaches it. Some persons are of opinion 

 that, if it were possible to prevent it, it would 

 not be desirable to draw off the water beyond a 

 depth of from four to five feet, — vegetation or- 

 dinarily not extending beyond this, — thinking 

 that, in time of drought, the upper surface might 

 be benefited by the evaporation of the water at 

 this depth, or its ascent by the process of capil- 

 lary attraction. It is useless to speculate in this 

 case, as such a matter must be almost wholly 

 beyond our arrangement or control. I ought to 

 add that, where this adhesive soil is once loos- 

 ened, its porosity — if I may borrow a hard 

 word — is often much assisted by the common 

 earth worms, who penetrate it in various direc- 



tions, and, directed by natural instinct, aim es- 

 pecially at the drains or places where the water 

 is found. Thus it is that we are often served 

 by our most humble friends, and in circumstances 

 where we never think of recognising the obli- 

 gation" 



With respect to the character of the soils that 

 are to be improved b}^ subsoiling and draining, 

 he remarks : 



" The removal of water from the land is, then, 

 in all cases, indispensable to a successful culti- 

 vation. Where it proceeds from permanent 

 springs, they must either be cut off or led away 

 by a drain which shall directly reach them. — 

 There are very few lands which would not be 

 benefited by draining. Wherever a spot is dis- 

 covered in a field, where the water is accustomed 

 to lodge, or which, from the coarseness or cha- 

 racter of the herbage growing upon it, indicates 

 the presence of water, we may feel sure that 

 there the operations of draining are required. 

 In the next place, it. is desirable that the wetness 

 arising from rain should be removed as soon as 

 practicable. All the advantage which plants 

 derive from rain are obtained from its immediate 

 passage through the soil. Whenever its pas- 

 sage is arrested, and the water becomes stag- 

 nant, its presence is injurious, excepting to plants 

 which are, like rice, for example, of an aquatic, 

 or, as it may be termed, an amphibious character. 



" That soils of a light and sandy character 

 are benefited by draining, I have had the fullest 

 demonstration, and shall presently show. That 

 soils of a most retentive and adhesive character 

 have been greatly improved by it, seems to be 

 established in many cases, though there are in- 

 stances of failure in this respect ; and an intel- 

 ligent and spirited agriculturist in Yorkshire, 

 with whom I have the pleasure of an acquaint- 

 ance, has proposed that analytical experiments 

 should be made, to determine what proportion 

 of aluminous matter in a soil should discourage 

 any attempts at improvement, by draining and 

 subsoiling. Perfect success has followed the 

 operation where the amount of clay or alumine 

 has been as great as twenty-four per cent.; and 

 failures have occurred, where the proportion has 

 been forty-three per cent., w T hich induces the 

 conclusion with him, that the boundary must 

 lie somewhere between these two points. This, 

 he thinks, experiment alone can decide. It 

 must not be overlooked, however, that other cir- 

 cumstances besides the actual composition of 

 the soil, may have effected the results. Mr. 

 Hammond, before quoted, has been successful 

 in draining heavy and adhesive soils, where, 

 after the drains have been opened, and the pipes 

 laid and but slightly covered, the frost has had 

 an opportunity of operating upon the land, and 

 occasioned fissures, which have been converted 



