Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-03-23
agricultural.
Land Drainage.

Underdrainage is applicable to 20 per
cent. or more. Of all the land Of this con.
tinent il IS true, that coca sionally we
ind an exception. such as a stump lot, on
which large crops OF wheat may be raised
in localities which. tor the time being, il
is impossible 10 underdrain; but even
with these, in many cases. as soon as the
stumpS are ro,ted or removed. The under
draining may take place with profit. A
still less per cen,ase than 10 constitutes
the exception In peculiarly elevated soils
with graveliy subSoi, where, tor a lime
understanding and subSOil blowing will
not pay Tor The production OF cereal
crops. Bat theSe cases are rare. A sill
more rare Kind OF exceptions are those
subsoi.S which are charged with sulphuret
OF iron. The admission oil the atmosphere
causes ibis Sulphure, 10 change 10 a sui
phate OF iJou or common cOpperas; and
unless heavily lined, 50 Is to decompose
the Sulphure, OF iron, forming sulpsaIe
OF lime and oxide OF iron. the running OF
The roots into such SubSoil poisous on
diminishes the cIop tor one or TWO years;
afterwards, the sulphuret being chemi-
cally changed and rendered soluble.
passes away through the uuderdrains.
and such lands are restored. A few such
cases occur near Burlington, New Jersey
the facts in relation 20 which were long
since published by Prof MApes
II soil have 4 money value OF tive dol
lars per acre, which will yield thirty or
forty bushels Of wheat by common cult
tivalion, no farmer could afford TO UNDER
drain it, TO &c, even double this crop, #
other land Of equal quality could lie
bought Tor The same sum. the cost oil
drainage being mole than the cost OF the
land. But il stagnant surface water is
present, the farmer must DO without
crops. or else use means 10 carry OF the
water. This is true Of any soil. irrespec.
tive Of It's money value. High-prieed
soil near large cities, robbed OF its fer.
tility, on which crops suffer from the
presence OF water, cannot be worked
probably unless il is underdrained,
properly manipulated and iertilizcd. II
such land is worth 500 per acre, and
tbaf kv tha,. ,,aars t,,N s;-aI c-o.,,s 49,.
be grown, no farmer can afford TO till
the soil so uRiertile as no, to pay him for
his labor; and this Is truer of the soil-the
poorer it is and the higher the money
value OF the labor.
II is quite usual for writer's on agricul-
ture 10 talk Of what the farmer can
and cannot aford.-that many farmers
have not sufficient capital. etc. Now we
would urge that agriculture. properly
carried out, requires capital. and that one
canno, be a farmer without capital. any
more than he can be a merchant or man
uiacturer wilhOutcapital. Suppose Adam
Smith, in his work on political economy.
should state that merchants cOnnOt i'm
port goods unless the consumers will pay
Tor them before they receive them. be-
cause the merchants are poor and have
not capital. would no, such Al argument
be laughed az Sjil. 30 not ninety mer
chants 10 one hundred tail every ten
years for want Of capital added. doubt.
less, to encouragement when applied to
those who have capital.
Can a man be merchant or banker
without capiia9 and must not his prof,
bear some ratio TO the amount OF capital
used We claim. therefore, that writers
on agriculture should present the best
methods tor producing the largest profit
per acre with safety to the capital invest.
ed. and let every farmer approximate 10
this status in proportion 10 bis capital The
more judicious will cultivate such area
only as is Proporiioned to their capital.
while the speculative, who but half cult
vate through the absense Of capital must
iail as competitors with their weather.
neighbors.
The results Of practice are always su-
perior as argument against a process. to
any opinion which may be offered in ad-
vance OF results. and when this practice
pervades an immense area with favora-
bic result, we should prefer such class of
proof to any ones opinion. England has
expended many millions of dollars in IN
derdrainage as 4 Government project,
and money loaned to far mers on the iol-
lowing terms: lst. That il should be
expended in undertaking their farms.
under the direction Of public function
aries. 2d. That the owner of the farm
should secnre the Government by mort.
gage only active on the increased value
OF the farm beyond the assessed value al
the time the understanding commenced &.
Sd. That the farmer should pay three per
cent. interest and six and half per cent.
each year until the whole was paid. thus
paying annually part Of the principal