162 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



of France, into Spain and then into Britain. In 

 the States of Lombardy the waters of all the 

 rivers belong to the State; in that of Venice the 

 government extend's its claims to that of the 

 smallest springs and even to collection of rain 

 water, so highly, for the use of the cultivator, is 

 water of every kind valued in the north of Itaty. 

 It is necessary therefore in Lombardy, to pur- 

 chase from the State the water taken from the 

 river. This may be taken by means of a canal 

 through any person's grounds, the government 

 merely requiring the payment of the value of the 

 land to the proprietor, and restraining him from 

 carrying his channel through a garden, or within 

 a certain distance from the mansion. The water 

 is sold by the Government at a certain rate, which 

 is regulated by the size of the sluice and the time 

 of the run of water — this is either by the hour, 

 half hour, or quarter, or by so many days at cer- 

 tain periods of the year. The right to these runs 

 of water is regularly sold like other property. 

 Arthur Young gives an account of the sale of an 

 hour's run through a sluice near Turin which 

 produced, in 1778, 1500 livres. 



The rent of the irrigated lands in the north of 



manure for five acres of other land. The water 

 here is peculiarly rich in fertilizing matter." 



" The water-meadows at Audly End, the resi- 

 dence of Lord Braybrook, are on a comparative- 

 ly small scale, but extremely productive. 



The average produce yielded the last three 

 years has been about thirty-one tons of grass or 

 eight tons of hay per acre. A patch of rye 

 grass measured three feet two inches in height 

 on the 30th April 1844." 



The high authority of Phillip Pusey, Esq., 

 is cited in the same work for the follow- 

 ing: 



"I have known Mr. Reals' farm for many 

 years. It stands alone on the summit of the 

 wild Exmoor range of mountain land. If any 

 one asserted that, for a trifling outlay, he could 

 enable heath-covered steeps to rival in produce 

 or value, the old grazing grounds of Northamp- 

 tonshire, he would be regarded as a dreamer, 

 but if any owners of moors will visit Somerset or 

 North Devon, he will ascertain the literal truth 



f •, , of the statement, as I did five years ago. All 



Italv is, upon an average, more than one third;,, , . , '. , , , J . . ^ n . J? -, 



J , j I ii & i • ,. n i 1 ■ that is required is a streamlet trickling down 



greater than the same description of land not:,, , l . . , , , A r 6 .-, 



watered " * I mountain side, or a torrent descending rapid- 



ly along the bottom of the glen. The profits 



m, i- . c n> * t> ' i J of under-draining; old arable land appears tri- 



The climate of Great Britain, on account! , fe , .,, o 



_ . . . i i it i fling when compared with the profits or thus 



of its humidity, would of all others seem formin ^ catch-water meadows, which, according 

 least suited to irrigation, but, under an im- to Mr. Roals, is more than one pound interest 

 proved practice, its triumphs there have j for two pounds invested. The two pages of this 

 been most complete. A description of j report, which state no more than Mr. Roals has 

 some of the most perfect water-meadows of i himself done, contain a talisman by which a 

 England will be found in " Coleman's Eu-! mantle of luxuriant verdure might be spread 

 ropean Agriculture " from which the follow- 

 ing facts are gathered : 



" The water-meadows of His Grace the Duke 

 of Portland at Walbeck at first embraced 300 



over the mountain moors of Wales and Scotland, 

 of Kerry and Cannernara." 



In the third volume of Ruffin's Farmer's 

 Register will be found a re-print of George 



acres. The value of the land has been raised j Stevens' practical treatise on irrigation, 

 from the annual sum of $400 (£80) to that of ! from which, out of many instances, are 

 $18,300* (£3660.) The work was undertaken cited at random the following evidences of 

 with no view to profit, and was executed in a the beneficial effects of irrigation in Scot- 

 Prmcely style of extravagance. I he expendi-i i n . c„ t „j„„ . 

 , n J .£ & ; , s ,. land and Sweden : 



ture irom the commencement to the completion 



has been $200,000 (£40,000). The profits uponj 



each acre after defraying all expenses are com- " Kirkhouse meadow, in the parish of Traqui- 

 puted at nearly $60 (£12) per annum, without ar > contains nine Scotch acres, and was the first 

 taking into consideration the great benefit they ! scientifically formed irrigated meadow in Scot- 

 are to the adjoining arable land. The land be- land. The land, in its original state, was valued 

 fore the improvement was commenced, was in| at 5 shillings per acre of yearly rent. The for- 

 part, a thin, gravelly and barren soil, and in | mation cost £4 ($20) per acre ; but the hay crop 

 part a peat bog or swamp, and full of rushes j for the last twenty years has averaged two hun- 

 and aquatic plants. It is now clothed with the 1 dre(i and sixt y stone (5720 pounds) per acre,* 

 most luxuriant verdure^and requires no manure! an( * . tne after-grass 12 shillings ($3) per acre, 



making upwards of £7 ($35) per acre grass pro- 

 duce. About the same time an irrigated mea- 



beyond the water with which it is supplied. 



Every acre of this irrigated land, in its pro- 

 duce consumed by cattle on the farm, supples] 



* A Stone weight of hay is 22 pounds, and 

 * The English pound Sterling is here estimated j ranges in price from 12 cents to 24 cents, or from 

 at $5 instead of 4 83-100ths. The same mode of j 55 cents to $1,00 per hundred (very much the 



calculating will be pursued hereafter. 



same in Virginia.) 



