The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-04-11
Undertaking for Upiands.

1E-. Editor was conversing lately with an
intelligent practical agricultrrist of the old
school on the advantages of undertaking,
and when I told him that it should not be con-
fined exclusively to wet lands, but that it would
be of great advantage to high lands, even hill
tops, saw that he thought was running
things into the ground" and that he had no
respect whatever for my advice. He could
comprehend, he said, the good of carrying off
the surplus water from low, wet places, but
could not understand how anything was to be
lodges. explained to him at some length
how draining would benefit uplands, and was
pleased to find that I had convinced him of
the truth of my reasoning. At his suggestion
that "a heap of good farmers do not under
stand this, and that it would do good to pub
lish the fact for the benefit of the uninformed,
I venture to ask small space in your excellent
paper to explain g. great truth which may be
made of incalculable benefit to our country.
For I believe that if we would underdrain
more we should buy fertilizers less, and that
we should hear much less of late seasons,
droughts, and long wet spells, in explanation
of bad and short crops. | am encouraged to
make the request because know that you have
frequently advocated underdrainage in the
columns of the Farm and Home, and that you
comprehend its benefits.
But to my subject. I maintain that under
draining would render even hillside more
fertile. The following are the reasons: take for
granted that the drains are open at both ends.
Where this is the case the air entering at the
lower end and coming out at the upper, is
passing through in continual current. The
drain carries of all surplus water, and as it
does so leaves spaces or interstices between the
particles of soil into which the air penetrates,
which being warmer than the soil, is constant
ly furnishing heat to the supercumbent soil,
and thus among other things rendering it fit
for cultivation much sooner in the spring than
undrained soil. The foul and poisonous gases
which exist in the soil are set free and given
means of escape. The atmospheric current
constantly passing through, carries with it sup
plies of ammonia and carbonic acid, and while
the entire mass of earth from the drain to the
surface is permeated by this current, moisture
is impaired to every particle of it, thus fur
nishing an ihfallible protection against drought.
Then, again, this atmospheric current which
the drains introduce into the subsoil makes the
inorganic elements of the soil soluble and fit
for plant food.
Just here my farmer friend remarked that he
could see how this might be true just where
the drain passed, and for little distance on
either side, but that he could not see how it
would affect the space between the lateral
drains. I told him that as it must be conceded
that well-constructed drains will carry off all
surplus water from the spaces between them,
it followed that as the water was removed air
took its place, and thus permeated the mass
supplying the organic portions of plants, and
preparing all inorganic matter for assimilation.
Very few know or appreciate the extent and
importance of the agency of the atmosphere
in the vegetable world. But when they learn
or remember that every particle of the vege-
its ash when burned, is derived from the at
mosphere, an adequate idea may be formed of
its value.
Subsoiling land operates to some degree in a
similar manner to undertaking; but while it
is far preferable to nothing, it cannot be COM
pared in value to a thorough system of under
drainage, as practiced by the intelligent agri-
culturists of Scotland and England.-Southern
Farm and Home.