New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-29


parent to any one who reflects that IL tile or two in
the course Of ditch be Get much too high too iow
at the water quickly forms basin beneath
ard around, sediment lie washed into the adjoining
ppe and ultimately even the whole bore is filed and
the drain stopped. When this happens it will be in,
dicsted after time BY the wster appearing at tn.
surface Of the ground above the spot-irawp upward
by capillary attraction. In such a case the ditch
must be reopened and the tile relad.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Mr. Johnston says tiledrainipg pays for Itself in
two stasors sometimes in one. Thus, in 1877 he
bought piece Of ten acres to get outlet for his
drains. II was perfect quagmire, covered with
coarse aquatic grssses, and unfruitul thst it would
not give back the seed sown upon it. In 1913 crop
of com was taken from it, which WAS measured and
found to be eighty bushels per acre. and as because Of
the Irsh famine corn was worth 81 per bushel that
year. this crop paid not only al the expense of drain
sgs but the frat cost of the land as well.
Another piece Of twenty acres adjoining the farm OF
tie late John Delafsld, was wet and would never
bring more than ten bushels of corn per acre. This
WA drained at great COST nearly $50 per acre. The
first crop after this wss SO bushels and some odd
pounds per acre. II was weighed and measured by
Mr. Delafeld and the County Society awarded q pre-
MUM to Mr. Johnston. Eight acres and some rods of
this land at one tde averaged ~ bushels or the tn
fling increase Of 81 bushels per acre over Whist it
would bear before those insgi cant clay tiles were
buried in the ground. But this increase OF crop not
the only Pre- fit of DRAINAGE for Mr. Johnston says that
on drained land osehalf the Usual quantity of
suffices to give MAXIMUM crops. 1t lie not difficult to
ind reason for this. When the soil is sodden with
water air cannot enter to any extent and hence
ygen cannot eat off the surfaces Of sopsrtclss AMI
prepared food for plants thus TIE plant must in great
measure depend the manure for sustenance, and Of
course the more this is the case, the more manure
mutt be applied to get good crops. This is one res.
ION, but there others which we might adduce IL
one good one were not sufficient.
Mr. Johnston says he never made money until he
drained, and so convinced 10 he of the benefits &C.
cruing from the practice that he would not hes ate
as he did not when the result was much more uncsr.
tain than at present-to borrow money to drain.
Drains welllaid endure but unless farmer intends
doing the job well be hsd best leave it alone, and
grow poor, and move out West, aud all that sort of
thing. Occupers Of apparently dry land are not safe
in concluding that they need not go to the expense Of
draining, for if they will but dig rlreefoot ditch in
even the dryest SOIL water will be found in the bot
tom at the end Of eight hours and if it does come,
then draining will pay for itself speedily. For in
star ce Mr. Johnston had lot of thireen acres on
the shore of the lake. where the bank at the foot Of
the lot was perpendicular to the depth of thirty oil
forty feet He supposed from this fact, and because
the surface seemed very dry that he had reed to
drain il. But somehow be lost his crops continually
and ss he had put them in as well as he knew how, be
naturally concluded that be must lay some tile. So be
engaged an Irishman to open ditch, with provso
that il water should come into it in eight hours, be
would drain the entire piece. The top soil was 30 hard
and dry as TO need application of the pick, but al
the depth of foot it was found to be wet and so
that spade could easily be sunk to the entire depth
of the handle. The bitches were made, and in lsss
than the specified time brave lot Of water flowed In
The piece was thoroughly drained and the result was
an immense crop Of corn. The field has regularly
borne 60 TO 20 bushels since Corn was planted for
first crop in this ard the preceding instances because
a paying crop is obtained in one year, whereas il
wheat we're sown it would be necessary to wait two
seasons He always drains when the field is in grass,
if possible for the bitches be made more easily
and Spring is chosen that the labor may not be inter
fered with by frosts.
To show how necessary it is to avoid planting trees
over drains We quote Q Gaze in point In lot adJo'n-
ing his house are four large ems which are marked
to be eed and the that the lot was formerly
so wet that pend Of water stood upon 1t in WINTER
and throughout the the children sksted and Slid
upon il. 1t was drained, and al went well for time;
but after three years Mr. Johnston found his drains
did not discharge properly, and that in certain places
the water came to the surface 60 as to destroy or
greatly Lessen the crop above them. He could not
account for the circumstance until he dug down to the
drain at each Of these spots when to his SURPRISE he
found the tile completely choked with brous roots Of
the Gins which, naturally seeking the subterranean
supply of water, had accumulated in mass as to
stop twonch bore Of tile.
Mr.. Johnston does not think there are hundred
acres in any neighborhood that do not need draining,
and would not pay well for it. Perhaps this may be
thought an extreme assertion but is nearer the fact
than most of US have been aware. Mr.. Johnston il
no rich man who has carried fsvoIite hobby with
ont regard TO cost or profit. He is hard working
Scotch farmer, who commenced poor man, borrowed
money to drain his land, has gradually extended bis
operations, and is reapDg the berehts in having
crops of forty bushels Of wheat to the acre. He Is
era, haired Nestor who after ACCOMPLISHING the eI'
perence Of long life is at seventy.fve years OF
age written to by strangers in every State Of the
Union for information, not only in drainage matters
but all cosnate branches of farming He sits in biz
home stead veritabs Humboldt in his way, dispens'
ing information cheerfully through our agricultural
papers and to private correspondents of whom he ha'
recorded I6i who applied to him lest year. His opin
ions are therefore worth more than those Of hos'
of theoretical men, who w1its without practice lie
saws that the retrogesscn Of our agriculture IN the
oien Sates il 10 be accounted for in cur sck OF drain
age. poor feeding of stock, which results in giving
small quantity Of poor manure, and in not keeping
enough to make manure. He applies 100 loads Of ms.
nure to the acre at the beginning Of rotation, and
this lasts throu ghout the course He learned from his
grandfather that no farmer could afford to keep any
han nd that As