Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1853-11-04

ton and dehclen, supply Of water. ap.
Iprrhend, however, that these lands are not 10
be found In Indiana, nor In any ether rfalrle
State. whose frat pecullarltles that strike a
stranger are a supufabundanos OF water ~ the
ralny season and a scarcity thereof In the dry.
The time 10 AT hand when you will here re-
qulfe extensive and powerful pumping appa.
rutus, u only TO raise water for your heavy
stocks Of cattle aud convey u 10 the pastures
wherein they will be confined, aud why not
raise enough Of the grateful ilaid 10 refresh
pastures aud cattle alkei
but even though thls assured and ample
Resource were non.existent. maintaln tha,
water enough falls on your fields every Year
TO keep them ircsh mn luxuriant throng hoal
the summer, II II were saved aud not wasted.
But mos, OF II falls during the seasons when
least ID wanted, aud IL suffered 10 run of To
the rivers aud the ocean, carrying very much
Of the best juices OF the soil aloug with Il,
when II should be retained In pouds aud res.
ervors TO bspumped lnto barn yards or drawn
of TO irrlgata the helds during the feryld
heats OF summer. The apparent difficulty Of
doing this would vanish aud the presumed
expense would be materially lessened oncarc-
ful consideration.
| know not that have travorsed any coan /.
try with more lively interest tnan beautiful,
bountiiul, picturesque Lomba'dy. The dalk
pail OF Austrian uespotism enveloping II did
not suffice 10 din It's natural loveliness ard
luxurlance, 30 greatly improved by the labor
and genius OF Man. II seems 10 have grown
into It's system Of almost universal irrigation
by imperceptble aud un marked degrees, aud
10 be now producing doable harvests anau.
ally a. the result OF some ioftuitous impulse
rather than Of foresight aud delibersle caIcu.
la,ion. The magnificent plain of Upper Italy.
which has for 50 many centuries been the
field Of combat where Goth aud Latin, Frank
aud Hun. Gaul and German, have struggled
for the mastery Of Europe. slopes almost I'm
perceptibly from the Alps to the Pc, and the
lmpetuous torrents which tear the rocky
sides OF the snow crowned precipices are ar
rested aud chastened In the blue Lakes which
lie at the foot OF the mountains, smiling SO
rsnely out upon the plain. Thence the wa.
ters proceed with more gentle aud measured
cadence to the great River. aud are draw Oft
aud stayed from point 10 point 10 ill the
irrlgaiing canals and ensure u rich reward TO
the husbandman's labors. Let ANY stream
from heavy rains become raging, foaming.
milky torrent, and It's waters have a value
which the pure element could not command,
and are drawn oil on every side until the
canals and reservoirs are tlleG and all danger
Of inundation precluded. Thus the waters
are most valuable for irrigation just when
they are most easily and sbundanlly obtain
able Tor that purpose. The water which has
irrigated one fertile garden or field, far from
being exhausted, has been rendered more
nourishing thsreby, aud may now be draws
of to lrrliixe the next field lying an Inch 81
30 lower, aud thence 10 the next, aud 10 on 10
the river, enrIohing aud gladdening all Il
touches on its way. Irrigation IL the life
blood Of Lombafdyi shall Il be nothing, teach
nothing 10 us1
II there bo country on enrth which
one would suppose irrigation unsuited 10
Great Britain is that country. Her ex.
ceedingy moist, cool climate, coupled
with her compact, clay subsoil (noi
universal, but very exlensiye) would
seem to render a deficiency OF moisture
one OF the very last evils 10 be appre.
hended or guarded against in her Agri-
culture. And Jet her best farmers arc
now embarking rapidly and extensively
In irrigation, finding Il practicable and
immensely profitable. Not here. as In
Lombardy, Is the natural now of the
streams, In their descent from the hills
to the rivers, relied on; bat great pumps
are employed, raising water by steam OF
other power from rivers, brooks, and
ponds, TO hight whence IL is carried by
grayltation through metallic and gutta-
percha pipes TO every point where Il ID
needed. Mr.. Mech, the ex-London
merchant, who retired rom trade with
competency To earn another by
scientific farming, takes the lead In this
application, and his estimates Of the In
crcased productiveness oil lands by rea.
son OF irrigation and tho profits thus Sc
cured would seem wild TO any audience
unfamiliar with the subject. may state
/ however, that he fixes the expense oI
conveying his manures In a liquid form
/ IRON his yard TO every portion OF his es-
tate as equivalent 10 one penny sterling
or two cents per cartload-that Is To say
the fertilizng properties which Were
contained in ton OF muck or compost
are now conveyed TO the soil that re-
quires them at the cost of one penny
That loading, teamng. and unloading
and spreading In the old way, must have
ost TAR more than this, YOU cannot
doubt; and beside, the fertilizing liquid,
being entirely free from seeds or weedy
germs of any kind, and in u condition 10
be readily and totally absorbed by plants,
must be worth twice as much US if ap-
piled In the old way. Now consider
that this load OF manure has been con-
veyed through and applied with many
tons OF water, just when the soil Is most
thirsty, and the plants most needy, and
you can readily Judge that the ton OF
manure dissolved In water and applied
through irrigating pipes at the cost Of a
penny, must be worth at least thrice as
much as The same ton applied in the
crude, solid state, at cost OF not less
tnan thrice that sum. But must not
dwell on details. You have the general
idea, and can follow Il out at your leis-
ure into all its necessary results.
III. What the sister arts teach as TO
agriculture may be fairly summed up In
this proposition;
The workman should be completely
master of his materials aud his imple-
ments. He should first thoroughly un-
derstand, In order that he may Ia the
next place thoroughly control the ele-
ments from which he Is TO evolve
value and sustenance. He who should
undertake TO build u ship. in ignorance
of the relative tenacity and resistance to
pressure OF the various woods and met
ais, would rush into apursut OF which
he had no capacity; so would he who
should undertake the running OF a steam
engiLe in ignorance of the nature and
power of steam. Yet the man who at.
tempts TO fern with an imperfect
Knowledge of the nature and properties
of soils in general, OF the laws OF vegeta.
ton, the qualities and psculiarities OF the
particular soils whereof his farm is COM
posed, and the cheapest means ofrenova-
ting and increasing their fertility and
productiveness, stands OH the same plat
form with the ignorant shipwright oil
engineer, and braves like disasters
whereof the largest share will naturally
TAIL to himself aud his family. Agricul'
ture is u pursuit so vast in its scope, SC
various IA It's processes and objects, thai
il is dillicuit 10 lay down general rule
with regard to il that will admit oil nc