New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-06
CHANCES Ar EUROPE No. xxx.
IOMPARDY

,apIdly, but LOmbardy has great natural CdPdCf
,,es oeculjarly her own. Her soil, fertile and
easily titled from the first, was long ago I'M
proved by system Of irrigation which, Pfooap'y
from small and casual beginnings, gradually
sversprcad the whole table land, embracing, be-
aide that of the Adige, the broad valley OF the
Pc and the narrower intervals OF It's many 'fiou-
tnres. which, rushing down from the gorges OF
,he Alos on the west and the NORTH are skillidliy
conducted SO as to refresh and iertlize the whole
plain, and finding their way ultimately to the 70,
are thence drawn AGAIN by new canals to render
hike beneGcence TO the lover, fatteT intervals OF
Venezja and the Northern Papal States. NO
where can he found region capable OF support
,rp a larrer population 10 the square mile than
LOmbardy.
American Agriculture has Just TWO arts TO learn
from acknowledgements and TREE-PLANT-
ING Nearly all our great interyales might be r.
,,gatcd immensely to the profit of their cultiVa-
tors. Even where the vicinity OF mountains or
ether high grounds did not afford the facility here
taken advantage of, am confident that many
PLAINS as well as valleys might be profaby lrr-
rated by lifting water to the requisite hight and
bitches as here Where head OF water may be
obtained to supply the requisite power, the cost
need not be considerable after the first outlay
but even though stcam-power should be requ-
site, m connection with the admirable Pumping
machinery Of our day, Irrigation would pay lbe-
rally m thousands Of cases. Such easily parched
levels as those OF New-Jersey and Long Island
f.ac 4 10
If thoroughly irrigated from the turbid streams
and marshy ponds III their vicinity. Water Itself
- of course essential TO the growth of every
plant, out the benefits of Irrigation reach far be-
yond this Ofthe fertillzing substances so labo-
rously and necessarily applied to cuitlvatng
lands, al least three times as great proportion
~ carried of in running water as Is absorbed
and exhausted by the crops grown by their and
W ,ha, if Irrigation simply returned to the land
as much fertility as the rams carry oil, II would,
with decent husbandry, increase IN utlhty from
wear TO wear The valley of the Nile Is one cX-
ample among many OF what Irrigation, especial
" from rivers at their highest stage Will do for
thc soil, in defiance of the most ignorant, I'M
provident and nsklllful cultivation. Such
streams rs the Raritan, the Passalc and most oi
the New Jersey rivers, annually squander upon
the ocean an amount ef ierllizing matter adc-
ouate To the comfortable subsistence OF thou
sands BY calculation, asSoclation' science Ia
Dor. most OF this may be saved. One hundred
thousand of the poor immigrants annually ar
r,vmg on our shores ought to be employed Tor
wears. IN New-Jerscy alone, IN the construction
Of dams canals, &c, adequate TO the complete
rnra,ion of all the level on moderately sloped
lands in that State. Farms are cheaper there
TO-DAY than IN Iowa for purchasers who can pay
tor and know how to use them. Long island
can be rendered emmen,ly fertile and productive
by systematic and thorough Irrigation otherwise
] doubt that II ever Will he.
Much Of Lombardy slopes very considerably
toward the Pc, so that the water IN the larger or
distributing canals is often used to run mills and
supply other mechanical power Ii might be
used also for Manufacturing ii Manufactures eN-
lsted here and nearly every farmer might have
a horsepower or So at command for domestic
uses II he chose. We passed yesterday the cont
ple,ely dry beds of what seemed to be small nv
ers, their water having been entirely drawn away
INTO the urigaimg canals ON either side, while on
the other bank there were grlst-mllls buslly at
work and had been tor hundreds OF years, grind
ing by waterpower where no stream naturally
existed If mistake not there are many such
IN tins city, and IN nearly all the cities and VII
lacss OF Lomhardv II our farmers would only
investigate this matter OF Irrigation as thorough
" as It's Importance deserves, they would find
that they have neglected mines OF wealth all
IL,
bic than those oi Calitornls. One man alone
may not always be able to irrgat his farm except
at too great a cost but let the SUBJECT be com
mended to general attention. and the expense
would be vastly diminished. Ten thousand
farms together, embracing whole valley, may
often be irrigated for less than the cost OF sup
plying hundred OF them separately | trust our
Agricultural papers viii agi,a,e this improve
men,.
As 10 Tree Planting, there can be no excuse
for neglectlng It, for no man needs his neigh
boris cooperation 10 render II economical or ct
fec,iye We IN America have been reckleSSv
DESTROYING trees quite long enough, II is high
time that we began Systematically 70 reproduce
them. There is scarcely farm OF nifty acres or
over IN any bu, the very newes, States that might
not be increased IN value $1,000 10y slN IL
,hciously expended IN Tree.Plsniing, and little
care TO protect the Young trees from premature
destruction All road sides, steep hlll-SideS, IA
vines and rocky places should be planted with
Oak, Hickory, Chestnut, Pine, Locust, &c. al
once, and many farm would, after tewvear>,
yield Sloo worth o. Timber annually, without
extracting $40 from the crops otherwise depend
ed on BY planting Locust. or some other fast
growing tree alternately with OAK, Hickory, &C.
the former would be ready for use or sale by the
time the latter needed the whole ground U,ih-
ty, beauty, comfort, profit, all combine 10 urge
immediate and extensive Tree. Planting; shall j,