346 
Retention of Moisture, Sfc. 
comparing the properties of this with soils in their natural 
state. 
It still holds true, however, that the better and deeper any 
ordinary land is cultivated the more porous it becomes, and the 
more is its capacity increased for retaining moisture — though 
not in injurious quantity — for yielding a more regular supply 
than shallow-ploughed land, or than such soils as allow the 
moisture to merely run over their surface. 
It has been thought by some strong advocates of steam-plough- 
ing, that if the land were stirred to a good depth, scarcely any 
drainage would be necessary. In some seasons this might suit 
well enough, no doubt ; but in very wet years there might be 
too much of a good thing. I have certainly noticed, more than 
once, that land stirred by horses, even to the depth of a foot, and left 
very rough by crossing the first furrow with the subsoil plough 
without a mould-board, has kept remarkably dry all the winter, 
and the drains discharged no water whatever. A foot deep of soil, 
crumbled about at the bottom and lying in large lumps at the 
top, does certainly receive a large quantity of rain without 
appearing to be very wet. Evaporation seems to go on almost 
all the winter from land lying with a rough surface. It must be 
clear that land that will absorb a large quantity of water, 
and retain it without being injured, must be capable of sustain- 
ing crops better during dry summer weather than such soils as 
are so close as to admit of little moisture by their want of 
porosity. In 1864 the drought was so great that turnips almost 
universally failed unless on very deeply cultivated land. In 
18G0 — a very wet summer — many crops were failures from an 
excess of surface moisture, induced by too shallow cultivation. 
" The retention of moisture in arable soils in dry climates," 
can only be accomplished by a succession of labour and precau- 
tions. There is no royal road to the fountain of waters, but 
every one must plod on and try to find the way by the best 
means within his reach. 
At all events, if the weight of root-crops throughout the 
country were doubled, the wealth of the nation would be vastly 
increased ; and with better cultivation and more manure, this I 
do think is quite possible. 
Burcott Lodge, Leighton Buzzard. 
