The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-23
Farm Drainage

arm Drainage
This is the title of a book lately published by
A. o. Moore & Co., New York 1t is written
by Hon. Henry F. French, brother of B. B.
French, ofthis city, who visited England, and de-
voted much time in acquiring information upon,
and becoming familiar with, the subject, which
is now considered one of the very highest i'm
portance to the farmer in that and other Euro
pean countries where farming has become a
science.
There has been very little attention given to
this subject in the United States, but it is be-
ginning to attract the notice of farmers in New
England and New York, and will very soon oc-
cupy the minds of all those who are DESTROYS to
make two blades of grass grow where but one
grew before.
We confess we had no just conception of
what thorough farm drainage had accomplished,
nor did we suppose that an interesting book of
four hundred pages could be written upon it, as
has been by Mr.. French. His book must be-
come standard work.
We notice that at meeting of the Sanitary
Association, in the city of New York, few
days ago, paper was read by Mr.. Egbert l..
| Viele, upon the topography and NEUROLOGY of
the Island of New York, in their connection
with the sanitary condition of the city," in
which Mr.. Viele said, d" that even in those sec
tions of country where there is no evidence of
marshes or swamps, the nature of the soil may
be such as to render it extremely unhealthy
Tn i,,"t. there is scarcely any soil that does not
require draining to produce full amount of
vegetation. and experience has shown that most
soils are by il largely increased in value, in
some instances the production has been
doubled, even where there was no outward ap-
pearance of moisture in the ground and in some
portions of Europe, large districts of country
have been drained at public expense, with the
principal object of diminishing the rate of NOR
tality. The tables published before and after
! drainage exhibit the most remarkable results !;
so that even in the country where nature has been
allowed to have its own way, where no artificial
distractions impede the free circulation of
water, it is absolutely necessary 10 resort to
drainage to render the soil fully productive,
and to free the atmosphere from miasma."
We are not sure but that in those sections of
our country where fevers and agGes prevail,
the sanitary condition of the country will be as
much improved by drainage as the crops will
be increased, great as the results in the latter
respect have been, where this has been resorted
! TO.
Judge FreRch's book is written not from in
formation and observation alone, but from his
own personal exp rience on his own farm,
where he has laid tile drains to large extent /;
and he has given that experience with great
Misunderstanding plans of the land, drawings
of draining tools, and such other information
as must be of great value to every farmer
whose land needs draining
The book is written in an easy and interest
ing style, and abounds with quaint, interesting
and amusing remarks and comparisons, rem
dering it a very readable book to any one, as
also very instructive one as to meteorological
and other matters besides draining
Cosmos. Sketch of the Physical Description of The
Universe BY Alexander Humboldt. Translated
from the German by f. c. Otte and William s. Dallas
F. l.. :. Vol V. New York Harper & Brothers
1889 For sale by Taylor Maury Washington, D. C
Three years ago, we saw an autograph letter
of Humboldts, in which. while one could ser