THE RURAL NEW-YORKCR 
ciover and limotby, it is probable drainage 
is needed. Nearly all our "drift” or 
“bowlder” clay is greatly improved for til¬ 
lage by drainage. As a rule, our sandy and 
gravelly alluvial soils do not need it. Often, 
however, tba low parts of such fields will be 
greatly benefited—" swales ” run through 
the fields, too wet to plow till long after the 
rest of the field. A four-inch drain laid three 
feet deep will often convert a worthless 
swale—worse than worthless since it is a sad 
hindrance to tifiage—into the most fertile 
part of the field. I remember well the first 
time I went from Chicago to Cairo on the 
Illinois Central Railroad, in June, being im- 
pressed with the iact that very manv of the 
TILE DRAIN AGE—No. 6. 
W. I. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Where to Drain. 
The question where it will pay to drain 
(and that is the real question) depends upon 
at least three classes of considerations: First, 
the local prices of land and tiles; second, the 
purpose or use to which the drained land is to 
be put, and, third, the character of the soil 
and subsoil. The question where it will pay, 
I say, is the real question, for the vast major¬ 
ity of farmers are absolutely limited by that 
consideration; and farming, as a business, 
should always be limited to what pays. Farm- 
ing, of course, may be made an amusement 
by those that can afford it. The farm may 
be simply the country place of wealthy men 
from the city, who can drain and fertilize and 
till their land as they choose, regardless of 
total profit or loss, for they have heavy bank 
deposits to draw upon; and they can show 
fancy results; or, if they have the knowledge 
and taste, they can conduct experiments of 
real value in agriculture. 
But to argue from what such men can do is 
illogical. Horace Greeley, for example, said, 
in substance, that it would pay to tile-drain 
any land that it would pay to till at all. Such 
wholesale and ill-advised indorsement of any¬ 
thing is a damage. There are many places 
where tile drainage is not at all needed, and 
others where it would do good, bat will not 
pay at present, and possibly not at all. This 
will appear in the discussion of the three 
classes of considerations mentioned above. 
These considerations, of course, are mutually 
interwoven and affect each other, but it will 
be more convenient to consider them, so far 
as possible, separately. 
First, local prices of land and of tiles: 
Drainage is not the 
Lne same number of row 3 and the same 
Dumber of hills as in all cases above were 
planted to sweet corn, in a similar manner, 
using seed from upper and lower ears. 
SEED FROM UPPER EAR. 
Row No. 1—2 stalks with 2 ears each; 3 
rudiments with silk. 
Row No. 3—5 stalks with 2 ears each; 6 
rudiments. 
Row No. 5—11 stalks with 2 ears each; 10 
rudiments. 
Total—18 stalks with 2 ears each; 19 rudi¬ 
ments with silk below one ear. 
SEED FROM LOWER EAR. 
Row No. 2—12 stalks.with 2 ears each, and 
12 rudiments with silk. 
Row No. 4—9 stalks with 2 ears each, 6 
rudiments. 
Row No. 6—11 stalks with 3 ears each ; 9 
rudiments. 
Total—32 stalks with 2 ears each; 27 rudi¬ 
ments with silk below one ear. 
The number of rudimentary ears with silk 
put out were enumerated as indicating a ten¬ 
dency to produce two ears. 
ROOT-PRUNING CORN. 
In 1881 I made some experiments in my 
garden in root-pruning sweet corn. I root- 
pruned at different distances from the hill, at 
different times during growth, generally three 
or more hills at a time. I watched the effect, 
and so far as my expsriuients go, in the way 
in which I conducted them, root-pruning ap¬ 
peared to be the cause of decreasing the yield 
In every case. I had carefully read the ad 
mirable essay on the subject by Dr. E. L. 
Sturtevant, and tried to follow his directions. 
FERTILIZING THE FLOWERS OF INDIAN CORN. 
Stoot paper sacks were drawn over several 
rudimentary ears before any silk or pistils 
had appeared above the husks. In all cases, 
no kernels were formed. In two cases where 
the ear had been thus covered, pollen was ap¬ 
plied for self-fertilization. In one case a few 
kernels only, and in the other no kernels 
were formed. 
PACKAGES OF MIXED LAWN GRASS. 
Seedsmen often sell these at 
excra labor. Jb>ut the labor on an acre of po- 
tatoes is heavy, and is nearly as great and 
sometimes even greater on land that has 
strength and drainage only to give 100 
bushels per acre, than on that that will yield 
200 bushels. Draiuage of stiff clay soils fits 
for wheat, clover, potatoes and fruit, that 
which was unfit before, but it will not very 
greatly improve the grass of permanent pas- 
pioneer in agriculture. ture or meadow. I have seen drainage 
^orn: straw as Feed: Protect¬ 
ing Cellars: PittlDg Foots: Kindling 
with Kerosene: Fall Plowing, 
(Special Rural Report.) 
The topic discussed at the November meet- 
log was "Getting Ready for Winter,” and 
the first sub-topic was "Securing Provender 
for Stock.” In opening, it was said that, while 
the time for securing hay and straw bad long 
since passed, the question was timely as ap¬ 
plied to corn-fodder, for now was the time co 
secure it. Not a day should be lost in nusking 
the corn from the shocks, and the fodder 
should be taken at once to barn cr stack and 
secured. Binding in convenient-sized buudles 
was recommended and rye straw was consid¬ 
ered the best material for bands. The mem¬ 
bers who cut up the most corn grew a small 
piece of rye each year for this purpose, and 
a high price. 
A package weighing three ounces and costing 
20 cents, was recently examined and found 
to contain 
June Grass.80 1 per cent, nearly. 
Rye Grass.13 4 " “ 
White Clover... 6.2 " “ 
Timothy.3 •* «« 
It will be seen that the leading constituent 
is June Grass, worth, perhaps, *2 per bushel. 
The Rye Grass is worth *3 50 per bushel; the 
White Clover $20 per bushel; the Timothy 
$3. At the above rates in the mixed package, 
the June Grass uost3 about $L4 per bushel; 
the Rye Grass $21 per bushel; the White 
Clover $60; the Timothy $45. 
Judging from my examinations, the vitality 
of the grasses in these mixed packages is not 
as good as in lots where each species is sold 
by itself Especially is this true of the more 
common sorts of grasses. 
Ag. Coll., Lansing, Mich. 
Potatoes From Seed Balls. 
On May 9th I sowed the seed in the open 
ground—a heavy clay. The night following 
we had a heavy rain, and then very cold, wet 
weather for one week. 1 felt almost certain 
that the seed was washed out; but after a 
considerable interval it came up quite thick 
in the row. The plants were certaiulv v- 
delicate when the dry season was readied, 
when they ail dried . vt, e ..opb some 14 or 15. 
I then ha gome ground dug op fresh, and 
lifting .hem with a trowel I transplanted them 
12 inches apart; only 13 survived. To day I 
dug them, and the following is the result:_ 
No. 1. Red, Into, weighed 18 ounces: 28 tubers; largest 
weighed 1 % ounce—sU about same weight. 
No. i, Red, late, weighed IU ounces, -10 tubers, largest 
w eighed 2‘* ounces. 
No. X, lied, lute, Weighed 5 ounces. 10 tubers? t.nrn 
No. X, lied, lute, weighed 5 ounces, 10 tubers; two 
largest weighed «.% ounces. 
No. 4 Light, early, weighed ouuoe, 0 tubers. 
No. A, Light, curly, 3)$ ounces, lo tubers: largest 
wol hod oue ounce. 
No.«, Red, late, weighed !l)<j ounces, 52 tubers; largest 
weighed i ounce. 
No. i, Red, lute, weighed 4, miucc, 4 tubers. 
No.-s, Red, late, weighed 4 ouaoos, U tubers, largest 
weighed 1 ounce. 
No. 9, Red, late, weighed 0)4ounces, 14 tubers; largest 
welghou ounces. 
No. hi. Rod, latr, weighed 7 ounces, 10 tubers; largest 
Outline of Early Ohio.—Froj 
It follows many years and many miles behind 
the early settlement of each new region. 
Where the land was heavily timbered, for 
years after it is cleared the network of decay¬ 
ing roots furnishes a system of under-drain¬ 
age, imperfect, indeed, but better than none. 
Large surface drains to carry away the flood- 
water, are all that can be afforded. Even if 
ver and potatoes on heavy clay soil, and 
hardly increase perceptibly the yield of per¬ 
manent meadow adjacent and on the same 
kind of soiL At all events, since the most of 
us cannot drain our entire farms it will pay best 
to leave the pasture and meadow till the last. 
Third, the character of the soil and subsoil: 
Ibis again shows the incorrectness of Mr 
Greeley’s assertion that any laud that will pay 
to till will pay to drain. Nature has herself 
underdrained much of our land with a grav¬ 
elly or otherwise porous subsoil. Where this 
is so, tile drainage is entirely unnecessary, and 
would be simple nonsense—money wasted. 
Only when the water stands on or near the 
surface for a considerable time in wet seasons 
of the year is drainage needed. If corn or 
wheat turns yellow, or clover heaves badly 
with frost, or wild grass tends to run out the 
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