Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-08-12
FROM ,hs wsrLins rarpsr.
Our Farm

a.k. Us to tell him the means BY which We
have arrived At such results. IL would be
d6culi cor Us in a single article, to DO more
than cnumerate them in elas~es-their mt
nu,ia will h. found in our hack volumcs-
bot as dificult as this task may SEEN, we
pi'l a,tempti,.
Our operations were commenced upon
twenty acres. and this rrd krllis. hard. pan
s1il. containing an immense quani'ty of
stones % al .iEcs. from that of hafel-
not 90 houldcrs weighing one or two
tons The surface loan did not average
four inches: below this was a decomprssd
portion oi a soil. similar % the sob. soil. but
in a higher state Of progression, to a depth
OF eight inchc. more then the red krllis
larl.pan, highly charged with alumina.
sri breaking with a slatc-like fracture, In
fake. yaryipg from quarter Of an inch TO
on inch and a quarter in thickness. We
son arrived al the conclusion that the stones
must he removed thA, the immense amount
Of water occupying the soil from springs.
and from nearly horizontal Hrat,6cAtion
ir i's circulation without descending, mus,
De- carried oif by undcr-drsins. before which
ths spring. should b. cut of hy such a drain
a. would be likely to catch the whole Of
them, - that the undcr.drains should not
B, annoyed with a continuous and and large
supply Of water, and only b" active, as un-
dsr.drains always should BE-, in receiving
ths excess Of water falling on the sol by the
r.s Of ihe lower water level. entering at
their bottoms. These springs occurred at
o. near the brow Of each rise. and the fol-
loving means were taken to get rid Of
them -
4 small two-ineh earth borcr with Eve
il1, handle. was turned down into the soil
At iuIl depth. At distances or ten feet apart,
each time lifting the borcr with the soil -
a, TO remove 1t from the hole. and dropping
an ordinary laih IN each hole the water
would appear IN these holes and vet the
hih TO CERTAIN height, some Of them with
in few inches %, the surface, and others
onlva fes inche. above their lower end.
By examining the row Of laths across the
highest point Of the hill, We asceriained
which latb va. wettcI o the highest point,
and to thi. laih ti-d string, passing this
string % the lath on which the water stood
highest in the next row, being ten icc' d..
iAut. and then 10 tho next, aud - on 10 the
bottom Of the hill, where We dug main
orsn drain 20 receive al others that might
bs made thereafter 4 drain was then dug
h'lowiu: tho line Of this string. and TO the
ial, depth Of Eve feet this cot oG all the
springs. and the delivery of water Was 50
great. that commencing 10 dig at the lower
end 10 was dihcult % maintain the figure Of
The bottom OF the drain, bot. by dressing
3, alter the great mas Of water had run oa.
We we're enabled to stone it, leaving an
opening containing siziy.lour square inch
q, Ia it, area. We afterwards made the
urisr.urain. at Eve feet deep and eighty
f.si apart. bat unfortunately at that time
c5all mol, procure drain tile. Al drains
more recently made, however, are with pipe
,'s. and ~ have had iull reason 10 know
o. their superiority a. compared with stone
drains. These improvements were made
only upon 80 much land as, in the sane
year. couli BE- thoroughly manipulated and
putin good heart. The suria"c blowing was
then performed 70 a depth OF two inches BE-
Meath the loan. and this has been incrca'cd
a, each surhcc-p'oving since, until u has
now fifteen inches of loamy surface. The
stone. were removed before and after plow-
Ing. and this has been continuously repeat
el until an arr taken away. Ai'er The sur
face plowing followed a -ubsoil plow, which
in the commencement required repeating
many time, in the sane iurrow, with six
oxen attached. before the beam could Be-
made TO travel in the bottom Of toe furrow.
Tie Improvement We have since made in the
construction Of the subsoil plow. has mate
rally facilitated this operation. and We now
throw it to its foil depth With asingle team.
even the frs, time 1t is used.
The subsoil broke up ha,ly, apparently
Ike Cat stone. but this, on receiving the
atmosphere .oon fell to pieces. and is now
kindly soil. Being thoroughly underdrain.
ed aud fully subsoil plowed, and clear Of
sprinss We knew that tho mechanical eon.
di,ion was correct; that roots would have
iull room TO travel the soil would grate.
and all necessary chemical changes could
rapidly occur. and Gll that was now wanted
vAs a continuance OF thi. system. only the
texture of the slil should be what might De
required 10 assist these changes, particular.
ly ibOss consequent upon the appropriate
circulation Of the AR and 10 prevent the
irc.h debris OF the subsoil fron being too
adhesive. we used in our stables, and even
taally IN the soil, large quantities OF swamp
muck. prepared by the lime aud salt mlI.
iurs We have frequently recommended.
An analysis Oi the duid Of a dilute acid
solGtion in which our soil has beep boiled
ior a time. gave Us cue to IT. necessities
Tor The current crop; these We add,d, and
they we're fouEd to Be similar to the eompo-
'i'ion OF the Ni.rosenized SGPer-phO.Phate
Of lime; such We have continued to add