174 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
June, 
58— SCRAGG’S PATENT TILE MACHINE. 
Drainage of Land. 
The principal object of draining is to take away sur¬ 
plus water, but in effecting this, other important bene¬ 
fits are secured. It is obvious that a larger quantity 
of water in the soil than is required for the support of 
plants, is injurious. It is injurious in various ways. 
That wet lands are “ cold and sour,” is a common ex¬ 
pression, and an acquaintance with the principles 
which this condition of the soil involves, shows that the 
popular idea is correct. It has been repeatedly proved 
that evaporation produces coldness,—that in the exha¬ 
lation of moisture, heat is also carried off,—and this is 
one of the reasons why a wet soil is really a cold one. 
That such a soil is also sour, is proved by the fact that 
vegetable matters form acids, when decomposed in wa¬ 
ter. The sourness of peat may be taken as an exam¬ 
ple. Prof. Johnston observes—■“ When [soils are] 
soaked in water, their vegetable matter either decom¬ 
poses very slowly, or produces acid compounds, more 
or less injurious to the plant, and even exerts injurious 
chemical re-actions upon the earthy and saline constitu¬ 
ents of the soil.” 
One of the first objects in the production of any plant, 
is to secure a temperature congenial to its habits. Eve¬ 
ry person may have observed that vegetation makes no 
progress till the weather becomes sufficiently warm. 
Different species of plants require different degrees of 
heat; but as a general rule, those which grow in the 
lowest temperature, are least valuable. 
The effect of drainage has been found highly favora¬ 
ble in raising the temperature of soils. Experiments 
have been made which proved that, at seven inch¬ 
es below the surface, the average degree of heat 
for thirty-six successive days, on a soil which had been 
underdrained and pulverised, was ten degrees higher 
than on a soil precisely similar, that had not been drain¬ 
ed and worked. [See experiments of Mr. Parkes, Jour¬ 
nal Royal Ag. Society vol. v. pp, 141, 143.] The 
more rapid growth and perfect maturity of crops on 
drained lands, is doubtless attributable, in a considera¬ 
ble degree, to the higher temperature thus attained, and 
is an evidence of the great value of drainage in high 
latitudes, where, from the shortness of the season, the 
results of agricultural labors are peculiarly uncertain. 
It may be safely assumed that draining is the basis of 
the great improvement which has taken place in Brit¬ 
ish husbandry within the last fifty years. In America, 
the practice of draining systematically, can hardly be 
said to have been iatroduced. Various trials have, 
however, been made in different parts of the country ^ 
the subject is beginning to attract great attention, and 
we expect, shortly, to see the business carried on large¬ 
ly and profitably. 
It has been objected that drainage is less necessary 
here than in Britain-—that in our drier climate, crops 
are more liable to injury from drouth than moisture. 
To this it may be replied, that proper drainage, with a 
thorough working of the soil, is the best possible 
protection against drouth. A little observation will 
convince any person that those lands are most affected 
by drouth, which at some seasons of the year are too 
wet; of this class are stiff clays, and soils with a “hard 
pan ” subsoil. Clays, which are not drained, keep th© 
water so long on the surface, that the soil “ runs to¬ 
gether ” and forms a mortar, which, when the water 
has evaporated, becomes like sun burnt bricks—un¬ 
workable, and totally unfit for the growth of plants. 
On the hard-pan soil, the surface is completely satura¬ 
ted with water in spring, or in wet weather, the com¬ 
pact subsoil not permitting it to soak into the earth. In 
both cases, the workable soil is usually thin, and as 
soon as a drouth comes on, the plants droop, and “be¬ 
cause they have not much root, they wither away.” 
Crops on such soils are very precarious - r the only bed 
for their roots at any time, is the little portion moved 
by the plow, and it is but a small part of the time, com¬ 
paratively, that even this is wholly available to them— 
it being almost always either too wet or too dry. The 
roots cannot, perhaps, penetrate the hard subsoil, or if 
they do, are liable to be brought in contact with sub¬ 
stances more or less poisonous to vegetation. The ef¬ 
fect of drainage in such cases, is to increase the depth 
of the soil, to render it more permeable to the roots of 
plants, and less liable to be affected by drouth. 
The first action of the drain is to take away the wa¬ 
ter from that part of the soil with which it is in direct 
contact. A contraction of the soil soon follows, and 
cracks are formed, beginning at the drain, and extend 
ing laterally and vertically, which admit the percola¬ 
tion of water and conduct it into the drain. When the 
soil is thus brought into a state which allows the water 
readily to pass through it, the former difficulties of its 
running together and baking, are obviated; the soil re¬ 
mains open and friable, and plants are protected against 
extremes of wet and drouth. 
It is a fact that plants suffer less from drouth on a 
friable soil, than on a compact one; as may be seen by 
a comparison of crops on clay and loam. This results 
