The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-07
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disposed to accept the wholesale declaro.
lions so often made that all lands il for
full of water and should be drained; and
when studied the elaborate accounts OF
the universal application of thorough
drainage in England Scotland, and saw the
system recommended TO us as of equal
value In this country, | could not avoid OBJ
serving the difference between the soil and
climate of the United States and Great
britain, and had strong doubts whether
IN somewhat porous soil and under n
bright and burning sky, it was as necessary
TO incur the expense of drainage as under
the almost constant rainfall of the British
islands and on their heavy clay soils. irecall
ca also the vast amount of time, labor and
money spent by one of my ancestors in at
tempting to reclaim that broad. boppy
meadow lying near the outlet of Alder
BROOK towards the pond; and | made nm
my mind that had better attend to nv mn
lands rather than devote myself to renov-
ing the water from bed of muck. whose
tendency had always been to return TO the
wet and soggy condition natural to such
localities, and to the wild grasses which
grow there. 1t had been redeemed once in
my day, and had returned to its original
DarDarism, and / concluded that would
not try that experiment again. ! had also
| SNNh WV rohC Idll elsewhere.
and had learned in various WAYS that bog
meadows make but poor farming land al
best. And then the great field of thirty
acres lying nearer the source of Alder
brook, drained with stone drains, forty
years ago, was, noticed, IN as bad con-
dltlon as ever, and the drains could be
traced throughout its broad surface by the
water grasses which grew all along their
courses. so, became suspicious of stone
drains, in lands like that. But I had
before me this broad level field, lying west
OF my house, a great bed of clay, usually
unmanageable in spring and unfit for the
best farm crops. But it was near at hand
and promised to be most excellent land
when thoroughly drained.
This land is, as you all know, nearly
level, and in addition to the wather falling
upon it in form of rain and snow, it re-
celves the drainage of considerable ex-
tent OF hillside and slope by which it is
sous clay without any strata of sand or
gravel. The soil above this is rich dark
loan, from one foot to eighteen inches in
depth. The field had been thoroughly and
carefully cultivated in time past by some
OF the best farmers in town. 1t was
always difficult piece of land to till,
owing 10 the surface water, and to its hard
ness In dry season, and its GOODNESS in
wet one. Some form of drainage had
always been found necessary for its cult
walton; and through its entire lenghth ran
deep and wide open ditch, on each side.
of which the land was laid out in beds
about forty feet wide, raised in the middle
as high as the plough could raise it, and
divided by deep dead burrows.
This land | determined to drain with
L.
thus treated in the old country. The crOp
of my first year had been about ton of
hay to the acre, of very poor quality.
The land was filled with water grasses,
and various aquatic weeds, and during
the season to which allude it was seldnn3
in pe the erSn s.agnaDt sa5iafdfr In many
p ~ 'i6n Of the field the cultivated grasses
were entirely destroyed.
removed plougn.selS esd for ,Ha n "S'
pose of manuring and seeding akai,P
grass, hut found at once that such an OPP
Grafton wora he utterly useless. The soil
of large portion w. cold, stiff and clam
my, and in spite of the MS, manuripg to
which it had been subjected, II "a still
that slaty color which distinguishes Wa
ter.soaked earth from the rich brown OF
well. titled and well drained loan. 1t was
evident that my manure and labor would
be wasted, even in my attempt to iaise
/ srass crop, exactly as manure and labor
| hau previously been wasted there IN the
| cultivation of corn and roots, on account
of the disastrous effects of the water
therefore abandoned my original plan; and
as the field lies very near my barn-yard,
in convenient proximity to my manure
bbooanp9. and at such a distance from my farm
laborers in going 10 SSS9d be lost by the
| cluded to devote it to constant cultivation;
| for | have always found that farmer can
not afford to transport manure to the dis
tant fields of his farm, while his grass
lands lie at his threshold; neither can he
afford to employ his laborers in long jour
| neys from their meals to their labor.
The operation of draining the field began
| in December. The open ditch was first
cleared to a depth at the head of three feet
and sinking five feet eight inches at the
outlet. In no place was the fall less than
three inches in 100 feet. Having thus pre-
pared the ditch for the laying of the main
drain, directed side drains to be dug run
ming at right angles with the main, begin
ming at a depth of two and one-half feet
| and running to the depth required at the
junction with the main. The side drains
were about thirty feet from each other.
When the bitches were laid open through
| out the field, began at the upper portion
to lay the tiles, taking care to keep the
| laying of the laterals and the main uni
formly finished as | advanced in the work.
The main drain consists of two rows Of
| four-inch tile laid contiguously. The lat
erals consist of two-inch tiles. / used
mostly sole-tiles, and the drains were filled
as fast as the tiles we're laid. The joints
of the tiles we're snugly covered with wisps
of meadow hay, laid compactly over them,
and the earth was packed as closely as pos
sibe around the tile throughout its entire
length.
And now, having described the process,
desire to give the result. This field,
which had long been almost incapable OF
cultivation, which was always flooded in
the spring and parched in dry, hot seasons,
which was disfgured by an open ditch and
by ridges and dead burrows, which had been
for half century reproach to the adopt
ed system of farming, began at once to I'M
prove in condition and appearance. Even
during the winter in which the drainage was
completed the water was carried OF from
it 10 way never known before; and, al
though 1t was bv no means brought into
perfect condition, still the ploughing the
next spring and the cultivation during the
next season were very materially improved
over previous years. And, as you are well
aware, my crops of corn and mangolds on
that field were the admiration of you all
during the last season. -
Since begun this business OF thorough
drainage, have often been asked whether
} II is profitable. This depends very much
on the location and quality of the land
, JJpon the location The field which have
described to you lies, as have said, in
! one of the most convenient localities of my
farm, and is almost indispensable TO al
economical production of the crops need
have other land lying near, but 1t is &c
occupied or so broken by hills that cult
walton is either difficult or impossible
Here was field unoccupied, at my very
door, almost useless, unfit for grain OF
: roots. and unable to bear grass OF goot
ouality and large quantity for even shor