The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-04-29
VOLUME 80.

ing the cold, sour water OFT Of them. would De
as fertile as the western r-aires.
Some years ago. VI purchased IN acre o.
high bog-laud. bearing nothing but few stunt
cd brakes and little wire grass, 10. worth the
cutting; but on laying good drain, four feet
deep. through the middle q IT, and deep
p,oughins it, II proved to be a black, rich, fri
able soil. producing heavy crops with very lit
tie dressing. Ana persons visiting our home
garden at Searsport, often say-''N hat warm,
light. dry soil you have" but when we began
upon it. thirty years ago, there never IVES a
better place for q jri1@. .H-d. cold, tough. blue
clay; in dry seasons capable Of Being plowed
ana planted the last G. May. OF some time il
June i dozen years ago we laid drains. five
feet deep, through i. waich completely chang
el the condition ana productiveness of the
soil. making it at le5st month earlier: fol
about as soon as the snow IS OF it can be
planted: at this date, Apr. lG, the hardy things
as peas ana potatoes have been planted, and
they will grosr. too.
Let Us now cousilar some Of the reasons fol
draining, ana how to 10 it.
IN The first place. drained lands VIII be car
!ier by some weefs; often, as with oats and
potatoes, making the whole difference between
q good crop and its lalure.-besjes, BY get
ting ahead OF the general supply. getting a
much larger price for the produce. >. This
sour. stagnsnt water which ills the land is
poisonous to most plants: as hardy trees, like
the apple, elm, &C., frequently die when set in
such soil. ,. All growing plants must have
air, not only to all thoir surface above, but to
their roots, also. below ground and as it is q
sound principle in philosophy that two sub
stances cannot occupy the same place at the
same time 50 ground filed with water can
not admit air hence, III too wet soil plants
suffer and often die, from strangtdati9n; that
is, from the want OF air at the roots. This is
one OF the great advantages Of frequent stir
ring the soil, as BY hoe and cultivator, to make
the ground porous for the admission Of air.
4. The fertility of soils is owing largely to
certain soluble salts. as the phospbates, nj
trates. &C., present in It. Now 4 soil usually
wet carries these salts far down below the
reach Of the plants, and so losing what you
'ANt&~u NOHl- W h4iiA 44atb4C h4l4tt4N
placed there, But take out this water, open
the pores of the ground, and by the force OF
capillary attraction, 2s if is called--the same
force which, and acting in the same manner,
sends the Oh up through the lamp wick, the
necessary water asccA4S through the pores of
the soil. carving uprarl those salts and fertil,
zing things to feed the plants. This is the
exact and beautiful reason that light porous
soil stands drouth so much better than 4 com
pact one. For as lamp wick is only series
Of capillary [mnute) tubes running zigzag
through the cotton, 50 porous soil. even if
several feet thick, IS only series of those
tubes running zigzag through the soil, carry
ing up refreshing showers from below And
the frequent stirring OF the surface with rake,
hoe and cultiyatOr, is only the act of the good
housekeeper, with pin and scissors clearing
out the pores Of the upper end of the wick
that the blessed oil may freely ascend. And
in this We see the great utility of nu lching
shrubs, trees, &c.; the loose materials used
keeping the surface pores open by preventing
too much drying, ard arresting, Just where il
Il needed, the fertilizing moisture IN its ascent
I{olr to drot1 and some other considerations
next week