Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-02-18

"DRoPsIcAL LAND. MIR. John johnson
writes as follows to the Boston Cuhirator,
on land drainage.
''The advocates of drainage expect farmers
to be possessed of common sense enough to
discriminate between land that will pay for
draining and that which will not. If there
are those that cannot so discriminate, the
draining of II few acres will show plainly
whether it will or not, SO that even if one
has very little Judgment in the case he need
not essentially err. Every man may have
observed that one part of ii field will in gene
raj produce fine bright straw (t may be
wheat or other grain), with plump heavy
ears, giving satisfactory return for seed
and labor expended, while Immediately ad-
joining such part of the field another portion
produces dark colored straw (evcn if not
rusted), and, lean ears, with light unrcmu-
nerating grain. Now did it never occur to
the farmer to ask himself the reason why one
part Of the field b ought good grain and the
other bad? ioI surely he must see there was
local cause. will tell how it is; the part
giving good grain is sound, healthy land; the
part giving bad grain is drOpsicai and discas-
ed. Whatever manure may have been ap
piled to it, did little or no good, and what
ever vegetation it produced was unhealthy
like itself. To prove what say, let a ditch
be dug in the sound land, and there will be
no run of water, even ir wet time, unless
there is snow-bank melting near by, which
runs into the ditch from the surface. Then
let another ditch be dug through the dis
eascd land, two and half feet deep, and in
ninety-nne cases of a hundred there will be
IA free run of water, and that coming at or
near the bottom of the ditch, And il the
dropsioal portion is thoroughly tapped, it
will bring for n number OF years much bet
ter crops than the land that was healthy
from the beginning. In many eases such
land will pay the cost of draining by the cx-
cess of the first crop, where it can be drain
ed for 81 to $22 per acre. -
VERMONT STATE AGRIcuLruRAL SOCIETY
The Directors of the Vermont State Agricul-
tural Society, met at Burlington ON the I'd
INST.
communication was received from Hon.
Edward Seymour, resignng the Office of
Treasurer, which he has 50 long and So ably
filled. The resignation was accepted and
the following resolution, offered by Judge
Colburn, unanimously adopted;
ResOired, That the thanks tf this Board
be rendered to the Hon. Edward seymour.
'pi Ihot ldIlHlui anu htNOlcu
services as Treasurer Of the Vermont State
Agricultural Society; and while we regret
the necessity of his resignation, we feel that
it would not be just to urge him to continue
in this Office, when the condition of his
health is so precarious. For this misfortune
We tender him our sympathy and we in
vite and welcome him TO life membership
of the Society.
Joseph Warner, Esq, of Middlebury, was
then elected Treasurer of the Society.
The matter of the revision of the premium
list, diplomas, arrangement Of the grounds
and other preparatory business, was placed
IN the hands OF appropriate committees.
1t was voted to hold the Ninth Annual
Fair OF the Society at the usual time, viz
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Fri
day, the l3th, 18th, 18th. and 10Th of Sep
tember next, which is during the week fol-
lowing Freenen's Meeting Phd,Gr