Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-12-03

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Intelligent foreigner, thatwe are mainly in
debted for the introduction into this couu
try OF this important agricultural improve
ment, who broughtwith him from his natiy
land the skill and knowledge necessary 70
its successful application of the man
advantages in science and the practical art
which we derive from immigration. I trus
that in these observations shall not be un
derstood as speaking in party sense 70
nothing can be farther from my intentions
They are simply sentiments which I -hav,
frequently expressed years before they coule
possibly have borne any such Specification
and they are now naturally suggested by the
subject under consideration. It is well
gentlemen, that there are occasions like the
present, would to Heaven they were more
frequent, when laying aside, for time,
political differences, we can all stand on q
common platform and feel that we are en-.
gagged in common cause-in the useful
the great, the noble canse of Agriculture
which in all history has embraced in its ranks
the most distinguished Of poets, orators, he
roes and statesmen. There can be. none
more important, or more worthy Of the best
efforts of the patriot and the philanthropist,
for in its broad and solid foundations rests
the whole structure of civilized society and
of national and personal prosperity. We
live at best too much in the excitement OF
party strife. Ithas become almost our daily
occupation. It is a fell spirit that obtrudes
his miscreant front eyerywhere-in the
Judgment seat and the jury box-in the
chair of the learned professor, and in the
sacred desk Of the minister Of God; and
even the hallowed retirements of social life
are not free from his presence. From this
place at least we can Danish him. -. 49,!
But to resume our subject. Other farm
ers in New York have followed Mr. John
stones example. The Transactions of the
New York Agricultural Society, for 1852,
contains prize essay from Mr.. Woman on
tile draining svHe commenced in 1849.
and describes his land as mostly loan with
slight mixture of sand and, gravel, from
Is to Is inches deep, resting upon hard
pan nearly impervious to water, and which
hadto be broken up by pickaxe to lay the
=: lnu.l il lies IN
rolling and sloping position, SO much, be
remarks, .'that my draining operations have
caused nearly all who beheld them. to won
der that [ should incur SO great an expense
in draining lands which Gas they thought)
were already dry enough" AS it regards
the expense, he observes, II will only esti-
mate the increased value of the lands by
saying that have the last year drained 20
acres at a cost Of 1875 per acre; and that
should not permit such. lands to remain with
out such draining even were the expense
doubled" We may form some idea of the
extent to which this practice is now carried
in New York by the fact that there are in
that State three large establishments at
Geneva, Waterloo, Albany, and perhaps
others elsewhere, busily engaged in making
drain tiles. I was glad to learn that a large
invoice of them had been shipped from &C.
neva to Virginia, but could not learn to
what particular locality. ~, E..5si'- -
I shall say nothing in this connection Of
the details Of tile draining, as the time to
which I must limit myself would not be suf-
fcient for that purpose. They can be learn
ed elsewhere. My sole object is to earnest
ly call your attention to its importance.
One word as to the principle on which this
system acts and [ am done with this branch
of our subject. "Take this flower pot, "
said the President of French Agricultural
Society, "What is the meaning of this small
hole in the bottom /? To renew the water.
And why to renew the water? Because it
gives life or death to the plant life when
it is only made to pass through the bed of
earth, for it leaves with, the soil its produc-
tive principle, and renders soluble the nu-
tritious properties destined to nourish the
plant. Death, on the other hand, when it
remains in the pot, for it soon becomes pu-
trid and rots the roots, and also prevents
fresh water from penetrating" .'The theory
of drainage is exactly described in this fig
ure" .-.T Ar Il.
There is another subject too much neg
lected, that forcibly commends itself to the
consideration of the Maryland farmer. /
refer to an increased interest in horticulture
and the cultivation of fruits. I arrange
them under one head, as they may be profit
ably combined and require but little extra Ia
Dor. Nature in the successive ripening of
fruits and melons-from the strawberry, the
watermelon and the cantaleup, to the peach,
the apple and the. pear, has pointed out a
healthy and pleasing change of regimen par
ticularly adapted to our warm and long pro-
tracted summers. In hot weather but little
meat should be consumed and our food main
ly confined to vegetable diet. In the whole
range of the pharmacopeia there is proba-
bly, no remedy SO eficacious for dyspepsia
and diseases Of the liver as ripe grapes
This is so well understood in France that it is
called the 'tgrape cure" and the suffering in
valid looks forward with bright anticipations
of returning health to the season Of their fui-