1854. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Irrigation—To Agriculturists. 
There is no subject connected with the business of 
the farmer of higher moment than that of Irrigation. 
Its importance is manifest from various reasons. Eve¬ 
rywhere throughout our land, the great element of fer¬ 
tilization is so abundant and may be made to increase 
•the present and continued income of all cultivated lands 
so greatly, at such a comparatively small outlay, that 
it is believed that were the attention of those interest¬ 
ed fairly directed to it, they would not be long in de¬ 
ciding to commence the experiment. It need not be 
called an experiment. The thing has been tested 
ages ago and is still in successful operation in many 
parts of the old world. Even in the British Isles, 
where the humidity of the climate would seem to pre¬ 
clude the necessity of such a course, and prevent the 
beneficial results elsewhere obtained, the work has 
been prosecuted with decided success. We have found 
under-draining of undoubted utility, and we may de¬ 
rive greater benefits from Irrigation than has been 
obtained from tinder-draining. There are thousands 
of acres of land capable of producing from one half 
more, to double what they now do annually by Irriga¬ 
tion, and the expense would in many cases be paid by 
the increased products the first year. 
What investment can the wealthy farmer seek for, 
that will promise better interest; or what means can 
the man devise who is struggling to free his broad 
fields from the incumbrance he was obliged to leave 
them under at the outset of his purchase, than by exe¬ 
cuting a judicious system of Irrigation ? There can 
be no mistake about it; in nine cases out of ten it will 
pay you fifty and even one hundred per cent. You 
may use guano and phosphates and sulphates but for¬ 
get not that stimulating element which the God of 
nature has wisely ordered should be so intimately con¬ 
nected with vegetable and animal life. Bear in re¬ 
membrance that the small stream that waters your 
pastures and glides gently through your meadows, may 
be made to increase the income of your farms suffici¬ 
ently each year to pay your rates, furnish you with the 
Country Gentleman, and make good additions to your 
library; or if need be, relieve the perplexity that 
some labor under on each returning spring, about the 
first of April or the first of May, 
Let every intelligent farmer who is satisfied, or 
wishes to be satisfied of the truth of these suggestions, 
shoulder his shovel and pick and forthwith begin the 
work. Be assured it is a work in which you will never 
flag, until you have done all you can do, in the way of 
Irrigation. 
The subject commends itself to the attention of ag¬ 
ricultural societies. Every thing held up by them eli¬ 
cits experiments, induces an honest, commendable ri- 
valy and competition. The enterprising farmer who 
succeeds in producing the greatest amount of butter or 
cheese from a given number of cows, receives a pre¬ 
mium. He who lays the greatest amount of under 
ground drains, is alike stimulated. Shall we not then 
in future, Gentlemen of Executive Committees, have 
the attention of an enlightened community called to the 
subject, through your means? May you not reasona¬ 
bly appropriate a portion of the funds at your disposal 
in this dire'etion, to those who succeed best in watering 
their lands and make ‘ honorable mention ’ to such 
othei^as you may deem deserving? Lema. 
How to Increase the Manure Heap. 
Mr. Tucker —In the Country Gentleman.of June 
8th, inquries are made by a young farmer of Conn.,— 
one about the best method of increasing his manure 
heap. I will state a plan which I have seen practised 
here, and where one is destitute of muck and other 
materials for absorbents, it answers a good purpose. 
About the 1st of Oct., plow a piece of pasture or mea¬ 
dow, where it yields the least quantity of grass; cart 
the turf and cord it into a snug heap, near where it is 
to be used for bedding during winter, for his stock. 
If the heap is of good size, and well constructed, it 
will heat and crumble into a dry powder by the time 
he wishes to use it in winter. An important requisite 
in any kind of bedding is that it be in as dry a state 
as possible, because the object being to absorb and re¬ 
tain the urine of the various animals, every pound ot 
water contained in the bedding shuts out an equal 
amount of urine. I would therefore advise to keep 
the heap well covered with straw, or some material to 
prevent freezing; also a roof of boards to prevent the 
rains from filling it with water. From calculations 
made, an acre of grass land will yield 400 loads of 
turf. Land so treated, should be liberally dressed with 
manure in the spring, and planted with some crop. Its 
fertility will then be kept up, besides yielding a large 
proportion for enriching the rest of the farm. 
Respecting spent tan for an absorbent, I would ad¬ 
vise him to try the plan. A short time ago, I came 
across the field of a farmer near here, which was com¬ 
posed almost entirely of fine hark thrown out from an 
old tanning establishment. It had probably been en¬ 
riched by the scrapings of hides for many years, and 
other enriching materials about the works. On this 
bed of clear tan, was growing a fine thrifty lot of ap¬ 
ple trees. The man also stated that he had grown a 
very heavy crop of corn the past season. Respectfully 
Yours, Lawrence Smith. Middlejield , .Mass. 
Future Prices. 
A “ Practical Farmer,” in the last Mark Lane Ex¬ 
press ,, closes a lengthy article on the above subject as 
follows: 
Farmers may for once, depend upon having the com 
tr de for the next year very much in their own hands. 
There never was a time when the world's stock of grain 
was so nearly exhausted ; and one great source of sup¬ 
ply—-Russia—is shut from us by the war. Why, then, 
should farmers hurry their next harvest stock to mar¬ 
ket? Prices must inevitably be good, if they will on¬ 
ly be reasonable and cautious; there can he no just 
cause of alarm. Let every farmer take time. Let the 
aim be to keep up a fair, steady, regular supply, and 
he may then rest assured he will receive a fair price 
throughout the year. 
