The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-09-17
THOROUGH DRAINING.

We find in the Southern Cu,ivator the
following article. We wish that our friends
would occasionally favor US with their
views upon agricultural subjects. Nothing
could afford us more pleasure than to pub
hsh SUCH
NJ. Editor am glad to see that the
subject Of Thorough Draining receives
such frequent and emphatic attention in the
| Cultivator, and certainly not more than it
deserves, as it is at the very foundation of a
successful cultivation of the soil in any lati-
tude of the United States, this side OF New
Mexico.
Repeated and discouraging failures in
the growth of both Corn and Cotton, on GER
tain pieces of land, induced in me solicitous
reflection on the subject | wished to avoid
the obstruction of open bitches, and still to
carry off readily the water oozing from fee.
BILE, but constant springs at the foot of hills,
and in small basins Neither draining tiles
nor rock could be had and wonld have been
too costly, if attainable. / resorted to the
forest, selected a sound White Oak, split it
into three-!oot boards an inch thick made a
bench OF one with legs about inches long
and one aud half inches square, made OF
the hanrts of the boards, 1t is necessary to
make but one bench; the other boards need
have legs but at one end. The ditch is then
cut as deep as necessary to reach the head
of the springs, sloping the bottom, where 1t
| is some inches wide. After it is cleaned
nicely, but the bench in the lower end Of
the ditch, then lay the other boards, like
covering a house, supporting one end on the
bench; the other end is held up by the legs
nailed to it--cover the spaces between the
boards and walls Of the ditch with any sound
aud durable material; draw in the earth and
the work is done. | give the ditch as much
descent as possible to hasten the transit OF
the water, directing it to some natural drain,
or leading ditch.
How long this aoooatIeing will last,
do not know-nine has been laid down
some FIVE years, and l see no signs of decay,
The dogs have damaged the outlet some
what by digging after hares.
Land that was entirely unproductive be-
fore this operation, now yields its average
share Of corn and cotton This mode OF
draining is specially adapted to hill side
springs. BY cutting r ditch, one outlet
will drain dozen spungs-the horizontal
running with the hill, the outlet running
from it to some natural drain or leading
ditch.
Hillside bitches occupy another and
equally important place in agriculture, being
INTENDED to receive and carry off the excess
of water, which accommodating in the rows,
burst over, washing the land, and submer-
ging with mud and water the lower grounds
know of but one man within reach of me
who has faithfully and therefore successfully
used the hillside ditch--A. X. FARRAR
Esq. of Adams county-and his cotton field
of 900 acres, with its miles OF intersecting
hedges, ard miles of neatly made and kept
bitches, is model of its kind His expe-
rience in making both hedge and ditch, as
also statement of his plantation regimen
would be of great practical utility to the
readers Of the CULTIvAToR. ! should be
doing good service by this hasty communi.
cation if should succeed in "calling him
out" by it. AGRIcoLA
WoodvtlIe, Miss, June %, 1850.
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An Over True Tale is the following, mt
l T.. i 4