Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-08-15
AGRICULTURAL.
DRAINING AND IT'S EFFECTS.

DRAINING AND IT'S EFFECTS.
The FIRST effect Of thorough drainageis is Of
course to carry off the surplus Waterfront the
surface to the full depth Of the drain. On
landwhich is too wet our cereals viii not
grow, not so much upon account ofthe pres
ence as for the want of air which the water
prevents from reaching their roots.
Its the idea of many that drains run
from the top" that is as soon as the water
sinks to the depth of the drain it runs OIL !;
this in some cases may be correct, but not In
all. Their exists in all soils what we may
term a water-line, and its distance from the
surface viii of course vary with thestructure
Of the soil and subsoil, if they are both loose
il viii be much deeper than whea they are
composed of clay or clayey loam
Now, if the drain be above this water-llne
II will run but little water, only that which
sweeps through to it as it passes downward,
but if the drain is placed below the water
line it will continue to run freely until 1t re-
duccs the water to its own level, when, to
borrow phrase, it viii only run off the wa
ter of absorption. To prove this we have
only to try the simple experiment of filling
a barrel with soil and making vents in the
side at various depths from the bottom to
the top. Ewater is slowly poured on at the
top it viii not, as might be expected, run
from the upper hole first, but will soak down
to the bottom until the lower portion of the
soil becomes saturated it viii run from the
lower hole first, and if this hole can carry off
the water as fast as it is put in at the top
the water-line will rise no higher; but if it
cannot, the earth will become saturated up
to the next hole and run from it, and so on
until it can find vent either through the holes
or over the top. Now, compare this barrel
to section of our SOIL and the openings at
the sides viii correspond with our drains,
and the same rules which govern the motion
of the water-in the barrel will also govern it
In the soil.
As before stated, draining removes thewa
ter, enabling the air to penetrate, and hence
is to certain extent practical deepening of
the soil for the roots, which formerly existed
only on the surface, which can now pene-
trate to the usual depth in search of food,
and feed on greater depth of soil. and of
course can supply much greater growth of
vegetation.
We have often been asked whether drains
should run up and down a slope, or whether
they should run at right-angles to the line
of fall To this we would answer, Never at
right-angles to the fall of the slope nor are
we sure that the other mode is correct In
practice we prefer to run the drains at an
angle ofabout fOrty-6ye degrees to the fall.
What says our friend Prof Wilkinson, Of
Baltimore2
The idea with many Is that draining can
only be Of use in soil which contains too much
water, or in soils which are called ''too vet. +"
This is mistake, for draining viii pay upon
the very driest land, not because it is too dry
or too wet, but because draining viii equal
ize the amount Of moisture in the soil, ma
king it dry when rain has fallen and wet in
the absence of rain by admitting air, and
which always contains more or less moisture,
which meeting with the cooler soil is depos-
tied In the same manner as the moisture is
deposited upon the outside of pitcher full
of cold water. This is an example which is
familiar to all, and the philosophy which
will account for it, viii also account for drain
ing making the soil moist in dry weather,
and it needs no argument to prove that it
will make it dry in wet weather.