Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-05-11
Land Drainage.

,orAb!c opportunity in the Geld. OF s-tinA-
ting the efficiency Of drainage. Public lee
tnrss and discussion, at our elub meetings
and scientific institutions. &c, are invalua-
be as means 20 an end bat as the author
OF the =" Book Of the Farm" lately told Us,
more progress mus, ye, b made IN the Geld
before either science or practice can safely
arrive :, satisfactory e0relusious, Tor these
facts speak for themselves, proving beyond
doub, that the most fruitful source OF div.
dei opinion al lsst Us arises from ina,,,o-
tilr 10 what they say.
T.sqss- ..asN, bayo JUS, rAisei ga! per.
har.. Do better Understood il stated in 9th
sr words thus What 0. the amour, oi
drainage rsquirci 10 produce the greatest
eject upon a gwen h,ld' The Geld has been
drained according to certain specifications ,
required 20 know, eIperimentally, Il The
greatest eject las been produced Would
als-.amouni Of drainage have proved equal
ly saec,ivel OF would an increase all to the
anoun, OF produce In haryos1 There Is =
second Geld adjoining, equal in every re-
spec,. geolosioAlly, geographically. and az.
ricalturally. Double the amount Of drain
Ass. or drain between every two, has dOub.
LED the increase Of produce, and upwards.
would a similar increase double the amount
Of produce in the one at issus2
The question. u will thus be seen, is pure
iyA practical one, such as can only bs an
,vsred BY experiment. Logic is excluded.
with The long lisi Of opinions 50 common in
drainage controversy. Rain. for example,
has been falling freely yesterday and to-day
on . grass Geld Of ~ acrcs m trout OF the
houss in which We are writing. The ae;u-
L quantity which has hllen we cannot tell,
no, having a rain-gAuEe, which alone can
answer the question practically as required.
The field is not drained ar,i6eiAlly; bot be-
ins incumbent on a gravelly bottom, a, least
for ihe mo.i part. il Is drained % the ditch
at the bottom, 90 that little water is TO %
seen flowing on the surface. Were the rain
however, - eontinus fJr smother day. il
would doubtless tLsu, a. 10 has often done
before now. appear on the surface, As ii -
not being removed from the Geld 80 iGs, As
it's falling When dy weather shall sue.
eecd the prc.,ut wet. the water will never
tael..s eouunus 10 aow for several GIys a.
IL ha. hitherto done. the strcAm gradually
growing Ices ani lcss. Now ,hs fact, here
are manifest, bu, not being ascertained q.
g. no steps having been taken TO make GER
tain the quantities Of waisr,) no practical
conclusion. can be drawn. We may sup
pose 90 And,o; bat hypothetical DEDUCTIONS
eAnno, Be received BY Experimental Science,
nor even clo.s approximations TO The truth,
nothing beng admitted by her bat fact.
I, therefore 10 easy matter complying
with the demand. Of modern agricultural
science 50 a. 20 iurni,h an accurate record
OF the fact. Of the case. in feld naturally
bot iuperf-,tly drained by means Of a srav.
ely bottom. the gravel being partially mix
ed With soil, and even tenacious clay, in
,ono part. and n We drain the feli Arti6-
eially. BY mean. Ofparallel drains, the nun.
Der Of facts will multiply upon our hands,
and the task Oi recording them increase ac-
SortInc'y.
In order TO ,1,mplify this. l'' Us surpO.o
the d,ld iu question drained-;he Tirs' az
the lsp,a o. = sea below %, sur.Aes, the
drains 90 feet a.undcr. and the Geld 900
yard, long. Now, under such conditions,
tbe rain gauge would indicate the raiu-ial!
q. formerly but the quantities Of water in
the other cases would be very diE.ren,, while
new Circumstances. would demand cousidera-
tion. Cnumcr.,ing them. We would have
-. the rainfall as indicated by the ram
gauge ., the quantity oi water which tails
on an area OF 10 O,OOO yards, removed BY each
drain, 8 700 being on each side; ,, ih, dii-
isrsni quantities Of water which aow ,hro'
different parts u each drain, ,hs greatest
quantity being at the bottom Of the feli,
sni the lcas. AZ the top !, the sire Of the
drain or pipe 5, the discharge G, the per.
collation. Of the water q the drains :. the
hyrrometrieal state Of the .oil at diEsasnt
periods: and :, increase OF produce.
Now a very cursory review Of these, sep
ratsly. will show their importance, and the
necessity Of attending them ezrerimsnially
in the Geld. in the operation Of draining.
!. In order 20 remove rain-waier by means
Of underground drains. provision mus; 10
made for the greatest rainfall, Scienih.
oally, this i. 50 seli-syident as to require no
amplihcation. much les proof; but praeii.
eany. 10 plastic tenacious clay soils, altbo'
the truth Of the proposition .. unquestiona.
BIZ, 10. reduction to practice is wba' few yet
have succeeded in accomplishing, ths aihni.
~ Of such .oi', Tor water being greater than
II, force Of gravi'a;ion through them. as
will be shown under the sixth bead. In the
Geld before Us, drains 60 fee, apart remove
Oh, water, according to hypothesis, a. fas,
sIi falls. This hypothesis, we mus, OBJ
serve. however, 10 FAR from correct; for al
thOush this distance asundsr, would require
'iI times the amount Of drainage, and no,
Be 50 sEsc'ually dried when done.
l. Under thi, head the fsld before US !. a
regularly inclined plane, 90 iha, with the
drain, running directly rp the activity. 5, =
600 yards on each side would thu. bo drain.
ed BY each pipe; bat when the surface i.
not regular, which - more frequently the