1 Ave,, 1901.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 181 
go no lower than the level of the water. . But lower the level of this water— 
that is, make it sink a foot lower—what happens? As the water sinks, the air 
is sucked down after it through the soil. When this happens, the roots will go 
deeper, and a larger quantity of plant-food is found by them. The air 
sweetens the soil which has been made sour by the stagnant water. Another 
thing you will notice about the soil is this: Drained land is always warmer 
than undrained land. Just go in the evening for a walk over a hill and 
descend into a wet flat. On the hillside you find it warm, but when you reach 
the flat you will find itis much colder, and hence it is that in winter you will 
often see no frost on a hill, whilst crops of sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, 
bananas, and pumpkins are killed by the frost on the flat. 
You can see how very important it is to a farmer to have warm land. 
His crops can be got in earlier in spring, they will ripen sooner, and he will get 
a better market than if he planted them on a cold soil. 
It is drainage which makes all the difference. Then there is another good 
work done by drainage. The rain, as it falls through the air, carries with it 
many substances floating in the atmosphere which are useful in making the 
soil fertile. When the land is properly drained, these “fertilisers” are held in 
the soil for the use of plants. but where the soil is soaked with stagnant water 
during heavy rains, both the water and the fertilisers are washed away over the 
surface and lost. There are other good effects produced by drainage which you 
will learn when you are further advanced. 
Some people think that draining some lands will make them toodry. But 
they are wrong. I told you how drainage drew air into the soil and sweetened 
it. Now, I will tell you what a sugar planter at Bundaberg did a little time 
ago. He spent a great deal of money in draining a large sugar-cane field, and 
after the work was done no rain came and all the other planters laughed, for 
no water came out of these drains, and they said he had wasted his money. 
But as the cane grew it was noticed that during all the dry weather that 
season, when everybody’s cane was drooping and scarcely growing at all, the 
cane on this drained land kept on growing, and the canes held up their light- 
green heads above all the other canes, and the crop was nearly double that on 
the other plantations although there had been no rain, and not a drop of water 
ran through the drains. Now, you can, of course, say why this crop was so 
good. You remember the lump of sugar which sucked up the water, although 
only a small corner of it was put into the saucer. In the same way the 
moisture from deep down rose through the warm, well-aired, loose soil, and 
the cane roots went deep down to meet the water, and so they stood the dry 
weather and grew quickly. 
One of the great troubles of a farmer on wet land is, that after heavy rain 
he has to wait a long time for the surface soil to get hard and dry enough to 
enable him to work his horses and ploughs. If the land is undrained he will 
lose many days in the year in this way. But on well-drained land, as soon as 
the rain stops, the surplus water is carried away by the drains, and after a day 
or two of warm sun or drying winds he can go to work again. 
By and by you will be taught how draining is done, and the various kinds 
of drains suited to different soils and aspects. Meanwhile you can see what a 
yery important matter this drainage is to the farmer. 
How are you to know when draining is necessary? Here are a few simple 
rules which you should learn by heart : — 
Whenever, after rain, water remains in the furrows or stump holes. 
When the soil sticks to your horses’ feet or farm implements. 
Whenever you see water in the hoofprints of horses or cattle. 
. When animals sink deeply into the soil. 
. When the rays of the sun form a hard crust on the soil. 
. If, after rain, a stick is put into the ground and taken out, water will 
rise in the hole. 
7. If crops will grow better when land is gathered up into small ridges. 
Doe 9 Oo 
