84 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Thorough draining acts as an absorbent like a sponge, presenting in all direc¬ 
tions numerous channels to imbibe the superabundant moisture. No sooner 
does rain or melted snow percolate through the ploughed soil, than thorough 
draining offers a safe conductor to receive it and convey it avvay. 
But another indispensable inquiry remains to be instituted, before we can 
clearly arrive at the final conclusion, that draining is the speediest means of 
fertilizing the soil. We have to ascertain that state of the soil in which draining 
shows its greatest efficacy as a fertilizer of soil. Most people accustomed to 
field labor imagine that they can easily indicate the state of the soil which re¬ 
quires draining, and the eiuct places in which drains should be formed. Many 
egregious mistakes have thus been committed in draining, and purticulaily in 
thorough draining. Any one is competent to observe where a spring bursts out 
to the day, and where the soil is partially dark coloured when ploughed, and 
where it is’ in a pulpy state at the wettest place; and any one can detect the 
well-eye bursting out its waters, near the bottom of a bank of natural pasture, 
surrounded with a verdant margin, and originating a train of those plants vvhich 
luxuriate most vigorously in spring water, such as the tiorin, some species uf 
poa, and the water-cress; but a palpable error would be committed, were any 
one ignorant of their nature, to attempt to cut off the sources of such springs. 
To accomplish that effectually, requires a previous knowledge of the nature of 
the alluvial and harder rocks, among which springs generally originate, and 
especially a competent knowledge of those in the particular locality. Although 
springs clearly indicate an obvious necessity for draining, which, if effectually 
executed, will always recompense the cost, stagnant water under arable 
soil is not so easily detected. The evidence of its existence is not so much 
pathognomonic as symptomatic, to use still the phraseology of medicine. The 
crops commonly grown are most correctly symptomatic of stagnant water.— 
Through its baneful influence the straw of white crops is short, small, line, soft, 
easily broken from shortness, not brittleness of fibre, and stained as it with rain. 
The grain is small, and although at times well enough tilled, has alw ays a puny 
and palish appearance. Cutting grass is also small, fine, not long, and much 
inclined to abundance of flowers, and of course to seed, which are both small. 
The hay is always light for its bulk. Pasture grass is short, stiff, not thick set nor 
fine, and of a bluish grass green colour. It does not fat ten live-stock well, parti¬ 
cularly in tallow. Sheep thrive worse than cattle on it, their wool being light, 
and to appearance dead. Little milk and butter are derived from it. I urnips 
are small, hard and fibrous, and their leaves grow nearly erect, and are often 
margined with red. Potatoes are small in the stem and short, the tubers being 
small, watery when boiled, and the crop never very abundant. The symptoms 
from the land itself are, that it is apt to get foul w ith couch grass, which, when 
hand-picked, cannot be gathered free from soil, but is easily broken, fine and 
very adhesive to balls of earth. This weed renders the ploughing and harrow¬ 
ing of such land, particularly the harrowing, very tedious, and when both 
operations are repeated till the soil is free of it, the soil by that lime becomes 
too much pulverized and deaf. The furrow-slices of land rendered thus deaf 
cannot stand up on their own feet, but soon clap down, become obliterated, 
and assume a wasted and hungry appearance. The dead roots of stubble, 
when ploughed after harvest, do not adhere firmly to the soil, but are easily 
rubbed out by the coulter and mould-board, and carried forward in bundles be¬ 
fore the coulter. The symptoms attendant on the application of extraneous 
matter to land in that state are, that farm-yard dung, whether fermented or 
fresh, does not quickly incorporate with the soil. It remains in an inert state, 
lumpy, and moulders away into a blackened mass. Bone-dust does not quick¬ 
ly incorporate with the land, therefore does not quickly decompose in it, nor 
does it ever impart that greasiness to the soil which is its valuable characteris¬ 
tic as a manure. Lime does not quickly mix with it, losing its caustic pro¬ 
perties, and soon becoming like mortar, and of course effete. Hedges which 
are planted in it become stinted in growth, and covered with moss, and most 
of the kinds of forest trees are soon in the same plight. Plants indicative of 
dry soil never grow in it, but give place to those which thrive in moist earth, 
such as the horse-tail, dead-nettle, sprats, some species of the rush, thistle, &c. 
Besides these obvious symptoms, there are others more latent, which are only 
obvious after having been detected; such as the ground when felt in walking 
over or being trodden on. It is oifficult to describe this sense of feeling by 
words. The ground feels less firm, more likely to slip under the foot by the 
arable portion sinking into or sliding upon the subsoil, and in some cases it will 
sound hollow on being jumped on. In such suspicious cit cumstances we have 
frequently seen drains release large quantities of stagnant water which had lain 
concealed and encased among beds of impervious clay. In short, when we come 
to examine thus minutely into the state of land, we will find a very small por¬ 
tion of it indeed that can naturally claim exemption from draining. 
In considering this enumeration of evils, and the catalogue is a long one, it 
may be observed that most, if not all of them, are symptomatic of bad land, as 
well as that under the influence of stagnantsurface water. The observation is 
quite correct But it should be borne in mind tha tslagnant water turns good land 
into bad, and that bad land is so chiefly because it is permitted to remain injured 
by stagnant water. It is true that all sorts ofland are not alike in their nature, 
nor alike in quality—some are naturally good, and some naturally bad—but in all 
the natural classes of soils which are easily affected by draining, and they are the 
most numerous, the good of them are good, because they are naturally drained, 
being composed of, and resting on pervious materials; and the bad are bad, be¬ 
cause they rest on retentive subsoils; and the more retentive subsoils are, the 
the worse the soils which rest upon them. Soils, therefore, are not naturally 
so dissimilar in quality for the purposes of husbandry, as that they are render¬ 
ed so by being naturally placed on dissimilar subsoils. Land, if of considera¬ 
ble depth, may, however, be very good, although it rest on a retentive subsoil; 
but the good soil below the reach of the plough forms, in that case, the sub¬ 
soil, and not the retentive matter, w hich may be at a considerable distance be¬ 
low it. The best natural soil would become bad, if placed on a retentive sub¬ 
soil. It is the nature of the subsoil, therefore, which stamps the quality on 
the soil, for the purposes of agriculture, for the natural quality of soil is, in all 
events, much enhanced by the art of husbandry. Pure carse clays may seem 
to form an exception to these remarks, but attention to their nature, as they are 
really affected by stagnant water, will show that even they form no exception. 
Pure carse clay soils are generally formed in deep beds or in masses several 
: feet in thickness, the pure clay itself forming the subsoil to the pure clay which 
is subjected to the plough. When water finds its way through arable soil, it 
descends to the subsoil, which, when impervious, it cannot penelrate, but 
slides down both sides of the ridges to the open furrows. But the arable part 
; of clay soil can only be penetrated by water immediately afler it has been 
' ploughed; for soon after ploughing it consolidates, and the water then can on- 
i iy run along the impervious surface to the furrows; so that pure clay soils can 
; never be said to stand over stagnant water; and should drains be placed in the 
furrows and open cuts formed in the hollows elsewhere on the surface, no sur¬ 
face w ater could long remain on them. Could a rounded form be given to the 
subsoil of the ridge upon which the sole of the plough moves, and that sub¬ 
soil rendered smooth by the lower edge of the furrow slice, being cut clean 
with the near approximation of the points of the coulter and sock, the surface 
water that at any time might reach the subsoil, would pass easily off to the 
drains in the furrows. 
Having contemplated the evils arising from water becoming stagnant under 
arable soil, let us now contemplate the reverse of the picture, the pleasing and 
valuable effects of draining. The existence of moisture being most easily 
know n by its effects on the crops which are commonly grown on the fields, the 
benefits of draining are also first exhibited by them. I hestraw of white crops 
on thoroughly drained land shoots up strongly from a vigorous braird, is thick, 
long, and, at the same time, so still', that the crop is not easily lodged. The 
grain is plump, large, bright coloured and thin skinned. The crop ripens uni¬ 
formly, is bulky and prolific, is more quickly won for stacking after being cut, 
is more easily thrashed out, winnowed and cleaned, and produces fewer small 
and light grains. The straw, also, makes better fodder for live-stock. Cut¬ 
ting clovers become strong, rank, long, juicy, and the flowers, though few er, 
very large and bright of colour.' The hay is heavy for its bulk. Pasture grass 
stools out in every direction, covering the earth wiih a thick mass of rank ve¬ 
getation, which produces fat and milk of the finest quality. Turnips get large, 
plump as if fully grown, juicy, with the skin smooth and oily. Potatoes are 
long, and strong in the stem, with tubers large, with skins easily peeled off, 
and mealy when boiled. Stock of every kind thrive, become gentle tempered, 
and fatten easily, particularly sheep, which improve both in mutton and wool. 
Land is less occupied with weeds, the luxuriance of the sown crops choking 
their growth. Summer fallow is then easily cleaned, when practised on strong 
; soils, and much less work is required to put the land in proper trim for the ma¬ 
nure and seed. All manures quickly incorporate with soil when drained.— 
These all are symptoms of good land, observed on the same soil which for¬ 
merly exhibited symptoms of bad; thus proving that by draining is derived 
the same results from bad land, (that is, from the natural surface, what¬ 
ever may be its component parts, when it rests on a subsoil, naturally 
so retentive as to detain the surface water which reaches it, until it stag¬ 
nates,) that are derived from good, (that is from the natural surface, what¬ 
ever may be its component parts, when it rests on a subsoil naturally pervious 
to surface water.) Can facts stronger than these be adduced to recommend the 
adoption of draining? Can statements stronger than these be produced on any 
subject, to make out a clearer case in its favor, than have been now produced 
in favor of draining, as a fertilizer of the soil ? To hesitate, therefore, to drain 
land, is willingly to hesitate to confer benefits on one’s self. None need urge 
the plea of inability from want of capital, to undertake even the expensive 
operation of chaining, since its effects are immediate as well as compensative. 
Every one can do a little to begin with; and every year thereafter, the drain¬ 
ing, however small, will increase the means proportionately to extend similar 
operations in future. Besides, let a farmer think of the happiness which he is 
daily storing up for himself, in the contemplation of the enlargement of his 
means, from the judicious application of his skill and industry on that soil 
which is the source of his existence. 
ON THE USE OF LIME AS A MANURE.— By M. Pirns. 
Translated for the Farmers’ Register from the Annales de VAgriculture Frcai- 
caise, of 1835 .—( Continued from page 55.) 
OF SOILS SUITABLE FOR LIMING. 
C. Lime, as has been said before, suits such soils as do not contain it already. 
To distinguish these soils from others, chemical analysis is, w ithout doubt, the 
surest means; but it offers often too many difficulties, and lime may be met 
with in a soil in proportion great enough to exert its power on vegetation, 
without producing effervescence with acids. But visible characters may fur¬ 
nish indications almost certain. The soils where the cow wheat, (melampyre,) 
rest-harrow, (Conoids ou arrete-boevf,) thistles, colt’s-foot, (lussilage,) and red 
poppy, spring spontaneously—which produce well in wheat, legumes, (or 
plants of the pea kind,) and especially sainfoin—where the chestnut succeeds 
badly—which shows but little of dog's-tooth, (chiendmt,) volunteer grasses, 
or common weeds, (grammines advenlices,) except of the small leguminous 
kinds—soils which, after being dry, crumble with the first rain—all these are 
almost certainly calcareous, have no need of lime, nor its compounds,* and 
would feel from their use rather ill than good effects. 
On the contrary, all soils composed of the moulderings (debris,) of granite 
or sehistus, almost all sandy soils; those which are moist and cold of the im- 
* Though both the truth and the usefulness of this passage in general, are 
admitted, yet it is incorrect in the position that none of the “compounds of 
lime” would be advantageously employed on calcareous soils. On the con¬ 
trary, the sulphate of lime, (gypsum,) the most important compound as a ma¬ 
nure, next to the carbonate, is most effective where the land has lime in some 
other form; and, indeed, (as has been maintained elsewhere,) it seems generally 
inort and useless on soils very deficient in lime .—Essay on Calcareous Ma¬ 
nures, pp. 50, 92. 
