The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1856-01-26
Agricultural.
UNDERTAKING.,

There is no SUBJECT so cminently worthy
the earnest attention Of American farmers, a.
that Of undertaking. 1t is erroneous to
suppose that all land needs undertaking
but we may assume that the greater portion
of all arabic, and much Of the grass land of
this continent, would be much improved by
the removal of all surplus water by means Of
underground conduits. The only question is
will it pay. Where land is sold for SIS per
acre, it is hardly to be supposed that it will
pay to cXpcnd six times the fee simple of the
farm in undertaking it. But where land is
worth $50 to $50 per acre in its drain
ed state, we hesitate not to say that nothing
will pay better than an expenditure of $50 or
$50 per acre in a judicious process of under
draining. For Some years at least, under
draining alone will increase the products Of
most farms from one-thrd to one-har, and
there are many instances on record where it
has doubled the crops. VIM. L. Ottley, of
Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y, to whom the
New York State Agricultural Society award
cd the first premium in 1854, for the best
managed farm, and the second premium for
experiments in draining, says: at is safe
reckoning that undertaking will pay for
itself, with interest of cost, in two crops. -
This is also the opinion ofJohn Johnston, and
Robert S. Swan, of Geneva, who have laid
about sixty-thrcc miles of tile undcrdrains OH
their farms.
Mr.. Ottlcy laid portion of his drains with
stone at cost of 10 cents per rod, and the
other portion with tiles at total cost of
81 10 cents per rod. The drains were dug
IL feet deep, and were cut in such parts
OF the field only as appeared to need UNDER
draining. We should advocate a more
fh.,N ,,.rhr Lat
than no bread" and indeed, the result of
his partial drainage was in the highest de-
gree satisfactory, increasing the value of his
land mot less than IS per acre annually, to-
gcther with case and comfort Of tllagc."
This ease and comfort of tillage' is no
slight advantage. Undcr,lraincd land can
be plowcd earlier in the spring and later in
the fall than that. which is undraincd; and
after heavy rains, while the undrancd land
is too wet for man or beast to work on, the
drained soil is sufficiently dry to allow the
usual farm labors to proceed without inter-
rupton.
Undertaking lies at the foundation of all
agricultural and horticultural improvement,
and it is as unwisc to cXpend money in at
tempting to increase the fertility Of farm
that needs Undertaking by deep blowing,
and good cultivation alone, or by the applica-
ton of natural or artificial manures, &c, as
1t would be to build an expensive house on
qu:c<sand. In improving farm, as in
everything else, you must begin at the be-
ginning This is the only true economy
Provide means for speedily removing all cx-
cess Of water from the land. and you arc
then, and not till then, in condition to car
ry out any other improvement that may be
desired.
How often in riding along the New York
Central Railroad from this city to Buffalo
havcwe been saddtncd at the sight of so many
thousands acres of valuable land surchargel
with the clements of fertility, but which, for
lack of undertaking. yield crops that bare
ly rcmunerate the hard working cultivator
for his labors. And yet this road passes
through the best districts of the Empire State,
and the farmers, as whole, will compare
fayorably for intelligence and enterprise with
those or any other State or country in
the world. We have seen this year, in our
trips about the country, thousands of acres
of corn that would not yield ten bushels of
sound cars per acre, and hundreds of acres in
the aggregate, where the crop was total
failure, and this not from exhaustion of the
SOIL or poor cultivation, but simply because
the land needed draining. As long as the
country is new, and the roots of trees afford
a kind of natural drainage, land suffers little
from drouths and wet seasons lit is partial
ly underdrained. But as the roots decay out,
the natural conduits are filled up, and we
must 60 to work and provide artificial ones
"All this is true" farmer at our side re-
plies. but | cannot afford to underirain.-
1t is very expensive operation, and have
not the money to spare. know quite well
that my crops tins year are not half what
they would have been, had the land been
underdraned, but then the idea of spending
$50 or $50 per acre in draining is in my case
simply impossible; have not the means to
do it with"
But would it not be better to sell portion
of your farm, and expend the money in I'M
dcrdraining the other portion We know
that under certain circumstances it is dcsira-
bic to hold land, even if nothing is received
from it, the rise in real estate" making up
for the loss: but this aside. it is far better to
have 100 acres of well drained land. than $50
that from lack of draining produces only half
a crop. We speak adviscdly when we say
that the former can be carried on with half
the labor of the latter, while the crops are
one-thrd larger. -, -,
"True, but i'll should sell off onc-quarter
Of my farm, and cxpend the money in I'M
proving the other thrce-fourths, should not
be able to sell the improved 100 acres for
enough more to pay me back the money
buried in undcrd,ans People wont pay for
Improvements, especially for those which are
out of sight" ......
Money ,udiciously expended in underdrain-
ing is not buried out ofsight. Cut an under
drain through that field, and the wheat next
year for short distance on each side of it
shall be double what 1t is on the other por-
tons of the field. No, sir, money buried in
undcrdrains is not out of sight. Every dol
lar next harvest shall come again rejoicing,
bringing his sheavcs with him. But, then,
suppose the farm will not sell for enough
more to pay the cost of draining, what do you
want to sell for? This desire to sell does
more to retard improvements IN American
Agriculture than everything else put together.
The lack of capital is great drawback, but
it is nothing compared with this restcssn VS.
which seems indigenous to new country
This love of change will doubtless work its
own cure, and in the meantime we will guar
antec that in ninety-nine cases out of a hun
dred, money judiciousy expended in under
draining good farm in the older settled
States, will pay higher interest than that
invested in any other way. In addition to
this, you have the pleasure of seeing your
farm gradually improve under your hands
and the consciousness that you are adding to