THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



421 



High Farming in England. 



,The following chapter we take from the 

 Rural Economy of England, Scotland, and 

 Ireland, — a work of M. De Lavergne, a French 

 gentleman, who, a few years ago, made an ag- 

 ricultural tour in Great Britain, with a view 

 to compare it with the agriculture of his own 

 country. Though very little of what is con- 

 tained in this chapter will possess a practical 

 value to an American, it cannot fail to interest 

 every enlightened reader. It will, we hope, 

 induce some of them to purchase and read the 

 book. It ^ives the best picture we have seen 

 of ^he farming of the best farmed country in 

 the world. We have reduced the British cur- 

 rency to our American standard, to save the 

 reader the trouble of making calculations. 



Among the innovations in agriculture which 

 the last crisis produced, by far the most impor- 

 tant— that which will remain as the most useful 

 effect of that great disturbance — is the process 

 of putting the land into good condition, known 

 by the name of drainage. The draining away 

 of superabundant water, especially upon stiff 

 soils, has always been the chief difficulty in 

 English agriculture. Hitherto the means em- 

 ployed for getting rid of it were imperfect. 

 Now, however, the problem is completely solv- 

 ed. " Take this flower-pot," said the Presi- 

 dent of a meeting in France lately ; " what is 

 the meaning of this small hole at the bottom ? 

 — to renew the water. And why to renew the 

 water ? — because it gives life or death : life, 

 when it is made only to pass through the bed 

 of earth, for it leaves with the soil its produc- 

 tive principles, and renders soluble the nutri- 

 tive properties destined to nourish the plant ; 

 death, on the other hand, when it remains in 

 the pot, for it soon becomes putrid, and rots 

 the roots, and also prevents new water from 

 penetrating." The theory of drainage is ex- 

 actly described in this figure. 



The new invention consists in employing 

 cylindrical tiles of burnt clay to carry off the 

 water, instead of open ditqhes, or trenches 

 filled with stones or faggots, — methods known 

 even to the ancients. These "tiles are several 

 decimetres* long, and placed end to end at the 

 bottom of trenches, which are then filled in 

 with earth. It is difficult at first to under- 

 stand, without having seen, the effect of these 

 tiles, how the water can get into them and so 

 escape ; but as soon as one sees a drained field, 

 not the smallest doubt of the fact can remain. 

 The dies perform the office of the small hole 

 always opqn at the bottom of the flower-pot. 



They attract the water, which comes to them 

 from all parts, and carry it oul; either into 

 drain-pits, or main-drains, where the inclination 

 of the land admits of it. These tiles are often 

 made by machinery, which renders their man- 

 ufacture inexpensive. They are made of va- 

 rious dimensions, and laid in the trenches at a 

 greater or less depth, and more or less apart, 

 according to the nature of the soil, and the 

 quantity of water to be drained off. The to- 

 tal cost for purchase and laying amounts to 

 about £4 ($20) an acre. It is now generally 

 considered that this outlay is money invested 

 at 10 per cent., and the farmers scarcely ever 

 refuse to add to their lease 5 per cent, per 

 annum upon the proprietors' outlay for drain- 

 ing. 



There is something magical in the effect of 

 draining. Both meadow and arable lands are 

 equally benefitted by it. In the meadows, 

 marsh plants disappear ; the hay produced is 

 at once more abundant and of better quality.-" 

 On the arable lands, even the most clayey, corn 

 and roots shoot more vigorously, and are 

 healthier, and less seed is required for a larger 

 Crop. The climate itself gains sensibly by it. 

 The health of the inhabitants is improved ; 

 and in all parts where drainage has been vig- 

 orously carried out, the mists of the fogy isle 

 seem less thick and heavy. Drainage was 

 thought of for the first time ten years ago, and 

 a million of hectares! at least are already 

 drained ; everything promises that, in ten 

 years hence, almost the whole of England will 

 be so. It is as if the island were once more 

 rising out of the sea. 



The second improvement, of a general kind, 

 which will elate from the last few years, is a 

 large increase in the employment of machines, 

 and particularly of steam. Previously to 1848, 

 very few farmers possessed a steam-engine. 

 Now, one may safely say that, in ten years 

 hence, the exceptions will be those without 

 them. Smoking chimneys are to be seen in 

 all parts of the country. These steam-engines 

 are used for thrashing corn, cutting fodder and 

 roots, grinding cereals and oilcake. They are 

 also employed to raise and distribute water, 

 to churn butter, &c. Their heat is no less 

 available than their power, and serves to pre- 

 pare food both for men and cattle. Some mov- 

 able steam-engines go from farm to farm like 

 a labourer, to do heavy work. Small portable 



* Experience has shown, for some time past, the 

 danger of draining grass land in the drier parts of 

 England. I mention this exceptional fact here, in 

 order to put upon their guard those who are seek- 

 ing to introduce drainage into France. One cannot 

 be too cautious where an agricultural innovotion is 

 concerned. 



* The decimetre equal to nearly four inches. 



t A hectare is two and one-half English acres. 



