Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-08-27
PERFECT SuDsoL DRAINAGE AND DEEr
pLowING.


FLOWING.
Every variety of good soil has natural
~ dry porous subso, being either deep,
frablc, porous EARTH sand, or gravel, or OPP
en- rock so that rain water will not rest on
its surface, but readily pass through the s,ra-
tum below.
The greatest injury which the land rccei-
yes is from stagnant water on the surface, or
between the soil and the subsoil.
Bad and worthless clay soil is generally
that which is saturated by stagnant water.
If water be allowed TO remain on good
land, it will soon convert it into bad or worth
less soil "a rctcnive subsoil has generally
IA soft or clayey surface, and is universally
bad and unproductive soil.
When the subso sretcntivc, the rain finds
its way through the cultivated portion of the
soil wet and unfit for vegetation ; but If the
snbsoilbe porous, either naturally or art-
icialy, it then goes directly through the sub
soil or porous passage to the drains that are
formed to draw oil'the redundant water.
1t is the constant practice Of the most sci
enitic gardeners, when about to pot any
plants, to put some broken tiles or gravel in
the bottom Of the pots TO drau off the super
fuous moisture from the plants to the hole in
the bottom of the flower pots; and when
they use strongish or clay soil, instead of
passing the soil through a sieve, as formerly
was the custom, they now chop 1t INTO small
pieces, and thus give to strongiSh clay soils
an artificial porousness which they naturally
do not possess.
On examining the roots of plants growing
in pots with soil thus prepared, we find the
crevices between the broken pieces Of earth
full ofroots because they have not only a
more easy passage where the soil is riabe,
in consequence of the Jumps keeping the
earth loose and porous between them, bat
here the drainage is most rapid and complete.
Land is not perfectly drained which, du-
ring the wettcst weather, has any spots on 1t
which the water rests upon, and gets stag
nant for short period. The rain should
have free course TO sink down through the
subsol below the roots of plants, and then
run of'by the furrow-drains to the open ditch
cs.
Complete subsoil drainage of the retcn-
tive soils can only be effected by having a
drain IN every furrow, or about one or at
most two perches apart and then by sub
soil blowing across the drains, and making an
artificial porous stratum under the cultivated
surface, to within an inch or two of the stones
| in the drains, that the rain-water may fall
through the surface and run IN the subSoil to
the drains. The effect produced on the crops
of close reten,ive soils, after they have been
perfectly drained and subsoil plowed, is
most astonishing.
The produce is so much increased that it
will in many instances, pay the expenses in
IA year or two, and wet soils, which seemed
to be strong clay when wet, become iriable
and even light when completely subsoi-drai-
ned, are easily cultivated, and li2ht enough
for producing turnipS to be fed of with
sheep.
Perfect drainage and deep blowing is the
true principle ofgiving to the soil an ncreas-
ed fertility. By this means the plants are
enabled readily to push theirroots farther and
deeper IN search of food, which they Obtain
Of more healthy kind, than when the sol
is imperfcctly drained and powed shallow
All tenacious clay soils should be trenched OF
subsoil- plowed once in every course OF crops
or when they are in fallow this practice MOI
only gives to the roots of plants greater
scope to 90 in search of food in dry weather
but also furnishes depth of porous substra-
tum under the soil to draw oilthe superabun'
dant moisture during continued wet weather
and transmits moisture to the roots of plants
in continual drought. Ibid.