The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-10-15
agricultural.
Cost and Profit Of ORA inage,

The advantages of drainage" admitted
aud its modes of constructing drains being
understood the next items of interest are the
cost and the prospect of compensation.
If the work will not pay, then of course
it must he given over rs utterly Impractical
bic AS to Nhc expense, opera tors are very
generally agreed tina! ditch three feet deep,
and of suitable width. will cost from 80 to
40 cts. per rod, when the work is done by
hand alone. Bat of late ditching plow has
been constructed. which admits Of the sue
cesSive elevation of the draught- beam and
handles so that the earth may be loosencd
by it to the required depth. To this pillow
span Of horses is attached, by an evener or
whipple-tree of five feet or more in length so
as to enable the respective horses to travel
one on each side of the ditch. This ohviates
the necessity of nslng the pick. and one man
with his span of horses and pillow, will break
up the earth as fast as from six to twelve
men Will shovel it out. BY this means, the
expense Of excavaIing for the laying of the
tile, Is said to be reduced to about 10 or II
cts. per rod. This would amount to abo ut
eight or ten dollars per acre, where the drains
were put two rods apart. Under the old
system of digging by hand, the expense was
from S24 10 80 per acre.
Now. if your tile coSe you $40 per 1000,
and you allow 81 more for transportation,
laying and covering, You have in one instance
as the cost OF draining an acre of land from
ST. TO 70, and i'll the other from S3S to Al. -
1t is seldom; if ever, the expense runs as high
as the last sum named, and the general
average IS from &35 to 40. Al this cost,
experienced men tell us that understanding
pays for itself within three years In many
Instances 1t does so in the increase Of the first
years crop oftener IN that Of the first two
years; but seldom, if ever, does it fail to
repay by the time the first years crop is
gathered.
On this point adducc the following testi-
mony, says the holder of large farm, Rem
wickShIc, England : " | drain so many acres
every year, AMI always find myself repaid
by the end o the third season. III have
spare capital enough, therefore, to go on for
three years, can gradually drain any extent
OF land, by the repeated use of the same sum
Of money"
Says Mr.. s. johnson, of Geneva, N. Y,
when speaking Of certain towns in Stuben
county, of this State: "Some entcrpriSng
farmers have made great improvement but
die great complaint with them is, the want
Of capital to drain with. Let them, however,
only do enough, ami they would Immediately
have faith that it would pay all the expenses
OF draining IN about three years, by the excess
in crops, Thus would they soon find the
means 70 drain"
Ol The same pnrpot is the testimony OF a
person IN Cayuaga county, n. Y. His drain
ing cost him s32 per acre. The increase on
his first crop Of wheat over the uniform
average oil previous years on the same kind of
land undrained, would pay all the expenses
OF drainage III less than three years
and the increase of his corn crop is something
over three years, estimating from the first
years Increase. lie says however, " that the
year was very uniayorable one for the trial,
so lar as corn was concerned, and ordinaiialiy
he has little doubt, that the increase of the
corn crop on drained over nndrained lands i'll
that region, would pay all the expense of
drainage within three years" This, as |
have SAID. Is abont the uniform testimony of
those who have tried "thorough drainage"
for wet, claycy soils. Testimony of like
nature might be adduced to an almost unlim-
ittd extent, but shall content myself with
repeating what is familiar 10 al who are con-
velsant with the history Of draining in
England, VIZ. that when it was about being
introduced there, the government offered loans
to these farmers who dc sired to drain hut
had not the requisite funds Many ayailed
themselves Of the offer, and the large increase
Of their crops. enabled them TO pay principal
and interest in the brief time for which the
loan was granted.
Ought not experience like this to convince
the doubting, that draining will pay even
though means for its accomplishment must
he procured by loan ? But few, if any, Of
our farmers. need resort to this latter cxpe-
dent. They can commence on small scale.
and enlarge their operations as success and
means warrant.
DO not run wild with the idea however,
that you must drain without reference to the
character of your soil, Gravcly or sandy
loans, only need draining when underlaid
with hard subsol. But cold wet, clayey
soils, which become adhesive after rains, and
crack in drought, may almost without an
exception, be underdralned with u certainty
of success. Only let there be no half work
about ia drain here or there on a ten
acre lot-put one three feet deep, every two
rods, and then you may be sure the expert
mcnt " will pay. "-Comtry Gentleman.