Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-05-25

the animal or vegetable. We all know
that when the animal stomach is out OF
order, from any cause, so that the food
taken upon it is not properly diecs'cd, the
subsequent processes of nutrition are
arrested, and # the cause is not removed,
the animal sickens, and ultimately dies. !
So with the soil. If the vegetable matter
| deposited there, TO feed the crop, is not
dccomposcd, or rot'ed, and resolved into a
| liquid or gaseous form, 80 that it can BE-
taken up by the spongcoles, the plant will
become sckly and unproduc'lvc, and the
processes Of healthy nutrition be at stand. |
Hence the accumulation Of vegetable mat
tcrs in swamps, marshes and other oca
lions habtuaIly saturated with water, aud
their great fertility when thoroughly
drained, and exposed to the influence Of
all the agents Of putre'act'on; and hence
the necessity of draining the wet grounds
on our farm; before we can expect to make
them profitable by culture. Coarse and
aquatic plants, it is true, do grow IN wet
grounds, aud in water; but few of the
cultivated crops, however, ore found to
thrive where the ground is not dry and
:, pcrmeablc to the influence Of the sun aud
atmosphere.
1t is not enough that the surface of
soil be dry; it must be so to the depth to
which the roots Of plants penetrate tor
food. at least fifteen to eighteen inches, 20
insure healthy growth of vegetation. II
is the cXtrcmlies Of these roots which
gather the food, and which are constantly
elongoting while the plant grows; and if
roots extend into q wet stratum, the food
which they take up is either too much
, diluted, or not otherwise adapted to a
, healthy vegetation, Nor is this all: the
r water Injuries or destroys the fibrous parts
Of the roots. and units them for the per-
Torrance Of their functions.
, We have published ample directions in
the Cultivalor, for The various modes Of
9 draining; and have pressed upon the
notice of our readers the importance OF
this branch Of Improvement. Yet we have
few remarks to offer here, on the patc
, u'ar advantages which underdrains possess
over open drains, in certain loca'ious.
The bject OF d'aning being to carry
off the surplus water before it satnrates
f the surface soil, impedes early tlIlagc, and
Injuries the crop, it should be our first care
to ascertain the cause Of weineSs, and
, where the depos'c, or fountain is, which
! is the source OF the evil. Where water
rises through the subsoil or the lower
strata, in spou,s or springs, as well "a
where. falling upon fat surface, it col
: lec,s and reposcs upon an impervoUs sub.
soil, undcrdrans are decidedly bost, at lo"e,
to collect the surplus waters INTO main
open drain. Thcv are not only best,
because the most efficient bot they are the
} most durable, most economical, and waste
!, no land.
They are The most efficient, They can BE-
made to reach. by digging and boring, the
depot of water, or water stratum, and thus
to carry it off before ii approaches Tho
@ surface, or pasture of plants Open drain:
do this but seldom, o. but lmpertec,ly
y because they are not often carried dcel
0 enough, and are continually liable to oh
structions, which impair their efficacy.
TNey are most durabIe. An underdrain
-, laid in the most approved mode, with stone
: or tile, Will last an age, If not century
Open drains are but temporary in lhel
n beneficial effects, without periodical re
pairs.
Then are The most economical. A goo
underdran generally costs no more than
good open drain, which effects like pur
h pose, and probably not so much, as III
y former can be carried down with ncarI
perpendicular sides, while the latter mus
h be dog with slopng banks, aud must en-
y brace width Of surface correspondent!
q with It's dep,h-the deeper the dram, III
. broader it must be at top, The cost G
the stone or tile is in n manner counter
,r balanced by the difference in excavation
Aud when completed, the underdraln wi
% require no annual repairs, while the opc
~ one will be constant drain upon the labo
OF the farm, requiring bridges and frcqner
, securing and cleaning. IL undcrdrain
cost sometimes the most, they are unqueS
tlonaby cheapest in the end provide
they are well made.
Underdrajns acaSie no land. They ma
be multiplied at every twenty feet. US The
is sometimes are upon stiff flat clays, wIthot
'y excluding the plough or the scythe, from
ID, foot Of the surface. Open drains, on N
% contrary, if made of suitable Dimension
"c require breadth of three or four feet, al
Is the plough is excluded from as much MOI
at their sides.
We draw no comparisons, nor do W
'c need any, between the products of fc
hc of habltually wet soil or the trouble AZ
Ie expense of managing it, and the same tie
y" after i, has undergone a thorough dranas
20 and ameIlora,on. Every farmer, we pr
H. sumo, has noticed the vast disparity
on both. If there is one to whom 1t Is n
or familiar, let him make the trial, and he "
~ be astonlshcd at the result, and at his 0v
Ter want of fore,houeh t in not having made
w. before.