The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-11-30
RNING, NOVEMBER 80, 1859.

|
the sun comes out in his June brightness the
water-line lowers at once into the soil the
roots have no depth to draw moisture from
below, and the whole field of clover, or of corn
in single week, is past recovery Now, if.
this light sandy soil be drained, so that, at the
first start of the crop, there is deep seed-bed
free from water, the roots strike downward at
once, and thus prepare for a drought. The
writer has seen upon 4 .ep trenched land in
/ his own garden, parsnps which, before mid
summer. had extended downward three feet,
before they we're as large as common whip
lash; and yet through the summer drought,
continued to thrive till they attainedin autumn
length, including tops, of about seven feet,
and an extraordinary size1 A moments re-
hection will satisfy any one that the dryer the
soil in spring, the deeper will the roots strike,
and the better able will be the plant to endure
tie summers drought.
| A gain drainage and consequent pulveriza-
ton and deepening of the soils increase their
capacity to absorb moisture from the attn. os-
| phere, and thus afford protection against
! drought. Watery vapor is constantly, IN all
dry weather, rising from the surface Of the
earth; and plants in the day time, are also
from their leaves and bark, giving off moisture
which they draw from the soil. But Nature
has provided a wonderful law of compensation
| Tor this waste, which would, without such pro-
( vision, parch the earth to barrenness in sin
| Gle rainless month.
The capacity of the atmosphere to take up
and convey water furnishes one of the grand
| est illustrations of the perfect work of the Au-
| thor OF the Universe. "All the rivers runi into
The sea, yet the sea is not full" and the sea is
| not full, because the numerous great rivers and
/ heir millions of tributaries, ever flowing from
age to age, convey to the ocean only as much
! water as the atmosphere carries back in vapor,
and discharges upon the hills. 1he warmer
he atmosphere, the greater its capacity to hold
| moisture. The heated, thirsty air OF the trop-
| cs drinks up the water of the ocean, and bears
away TO the colder regions, where, through
condensation BY cold, it becomes visible as
| cloud; and as huge sponge pressed by an IN
| visible hand the cloud, condensed still further
| " cold sends down its water to the earth III
| ain.
! The heated air over our fields and streams
| n summer, is loaded with moisture the sun
lcclines The ear,h bas leen cooled by radl-
,tion of its heat, and by constant evaporation
| through the day. by contact with the cooler
soil, the air, borne by its thousand currents
| ,entlv along its surface, is condensed, ant
Yields its moisture to tie thirsty earth again.
| in he f, I'm of dew.
| At Legislative Agricultural Meeting, held
| Albany, New York, January 18th, 1884
being the subject, the Secretary stated that
the experience Of the past season las abund-
lntly proved that thorough drainage upon soils
equiring it, has been proved very great re-
lief to the farmer y that 'crops upon such lands
nave been far better, generally, than those
upon undrained lands i'll the same locality;
aud that sin many instances, the increased
crop has been sufficient to defray the expenses
of the Improvement in single year."
Mr. Joseph Harris, at the same meeting
said, can Undetermined soil will be tounu
| damper in dry weather than undrained one,
md the thermometer shows a drained SOIL
| warmer in cold weather, and cooler In hot
weather, than one which is undrained"
| What is now most needed 10 promote agri-
clture, is the establishment of agricultural
-chools wlele the young men can learn in IA
| ional, systematic and scientific manner, all that
pelongs to his profession. And when he has
| earned that agriculture involves just much
and more science than does Law, Nc tdtcine O
DIVINITY, will he not love 1t et ually as weil!-
Ohio is sufficient, large to give sutiicei.t agri
cultural employment to tie young men who are
! 80 desirous Of going to the lar Y, est
| The heavy exodus to Caliornia, commencing
! with the termination Of the Mexican War, has
peen seriously i.lt throug hout our entire State
| There has been no period of consecutive de-
cade of years when every thing-every agri-
cultural and mechanical product commanded
| such steady remuneratlve rates, as from lo4S to
1858. If this advance in price was caused by
/ scarcity of articles demanded, then let us keep
our young men at home to produce articles to
supply that demand. Or, if the demand was
caused by general opening up over the State
oy railroads, and bringing Ohio directly to sup
ply New York City, Boston and Philadelphia,
what good reason have we for withholding
such profitable relations?
As an aggregate, the past fifteen years have
been the most prosperous for the agricultural
population in Ohio, that the State has ever
seen. Twenty years ago it was common at
air indeed to find that one-third, and III some
o .ses even large proportion OF the farmer i q
ownship were tenants; at present, almost every
farmer is the proprietor OF the land he culu-
Yates. 1t is not want of employment which
caused this exodus; and from the fact that al
most every farmer is the owner of the farm he
cultivates, and the SONS OF farmers own each as
Il general thing, "a nice saddle or buggy horse,
gold watch, broad cloth Sunday -go-to-meeting
suit made up in fashionable style, and as much
spending money in tie pockct as prudent
young man ought to have, besides being able
to read almost any document in the English
language, write legible hand, and able to
keep farm accounts and make computations
generally, is sufficient evidence to prove that
farming is remunerative calling or avocatlon.
But the young farmer suggests, perhaps, that
farming is not genteei--is not respectable
Should any young farmer be troubled with no
tions ON this score, we have simply to reply
that in our opinion WASHINGTON was about us
respectable as there is any occasion for any
person to be; General HARRISON was rather
respectable gentleman, and 10th were farmers.
But, not to utipiy instances, the respectable
ty of any rerson lies III his conduct and deport-
ment whatever the avocation may be- provided
always that is is useful. Does any one whose
opinion is worth the having, say that farming
is dsreputable?
Besides, the greater portion of the scientific
talent now in existence is devoted to the in
vestigation of agricultural subjects. irectly or
indirectly. However much the unthinging
may sneer at the idea of book farming, or sci |
entifc farming, the principles discovered and
doctrines subs antiated by actual experiment
of the invest gators, has already obtained such