Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1881-04-14
Benefits Of Farm Drainage.

y
it is very easy logic to say dryIheEs oi
and it will become warm. This, too. II
always trueiln.t the case gEenso To drain
soil well, or rather 70 put in condition
of constant self-drainage, is Of course
the remedy for the wet and cold cot1di
ton. 1t seems strange that so simple {
process, though known and practicet
centuries ago to a very limited extent
is but very recently claiming genera
attention, and being reduced 10 some
thing like practical and scientific
basis.
Swamps, indeed, and stagnant pool,
and ponds of water have, Of necessity
been carried away through drains, OF
more properly open ditches.e But IT has
been reserved for a comparatively late
day to successfully apply a system Of
tile drainage to almost all classes and
conditions of soil.
The wet condition ofthe soil is, how
ever, only part of the problem. A
wet soil is also difficult soil TO manage,
on account OF the baked condition to
which it is always liable under hot
sun. This renders it less friable, re-
quires vastly greater expenditure OF
labor and time to bring it into good
farming condition, and produces less OF
grains or grasses after all the labor has
been expended, TF e
To dry soil by undertakings is also,
therefore, to remedy at one stroke all
these difficulties, Tor a warm, dry soil
will seldom or ever bake, and is more
productive than the cold and wet. As
this is a question OF practical science,
let us briefly examine few simple laws
on which the facts ! have stated rest
and by which the results mentioned are
brought about.
First-It is a well-known fact in
science that water is powerful radia-
tor Of heat. This being true, all soils
having, for portion ofthe season, large
quantities o! surface water, must, of ne
cessily, be deprived OF large proper
ton OF the heat of the suns rays, they
being radiated by the water, instead of
being absorbed bv the soil as should be
the case, and as must be before the soil
will be warm enough to touch and
quicken the gcrm-hfe fthe seeds sown
or planted. Heat, indeed, is one ofthe
main conditions of life; and while il is
possible to destroy lite by overhealing.
it is equally certain that no very high
type of life can be produced, or after
production continued, without regu-
lar and constant supply OF warmth or
heat. t h
Second-But pools and surface water
are not alone The enemies production.
ii is also wcl-known fact in science
that evaporation produces cold. Take
the simple process of making the zee.
cream, luxury as easily produced in
the suns of July as in the frosts OF De-
cember. This is done by the use OF the
well-known law Of sudden and rapid
evaporation carried on by the column of
ice and salt outside OF the column Of
cream, and by which the heat is with
drawn from the cream 10 so great an ex-
te as to produce ice.
Third-Wet lands waste the manure,
by not allowing ready absorption; the
valuable parts manure frequently pass
of in vapor, and are carried by the
winds TO enrich your neighbours soil,
who by underdranage reaps The bene-
fit OF your labor as well as his own.
Fourth-There IS also another method
by which undertakings changes the
temperature and condition of the soil.
The soil, as just shown, having been
rendered more irable and porous by
carrying of the surface water, is also
in condition 10 allow the rainfall 10 pass
easily and quickly through from the
surface to the drain below. In this pas
sage Of rain through SOIL and subsor The
heat or warmth in rain is carried down
ward and absorbed by the soil or sub
soil. A 5 this absorbent force is always
more effective IN the ratio OF The po-
Tousness Of the soil, it follows that all
the warmth Of the summers ram, in
stead Of being wasted by radiation and
evaporation, may, by iudicious sys-
TEN OF draining, be stored away in the
soil below, and reappear in helncreased
quantities and improved qualities Of the
grains, grasses, and fruits, TO reward
and bless the husbandman for his toll.
Flfth-Well.d drained lands will stand
a drought better than wet lands. This
will be apparent when ii remembered
that during large part of the season
moisture is supplied TO the roots Of
growing crops by capillary attraction.
In hard, baked soil, thus process is ar
rested, and the supply OF moisture ne
cessary for growth is cut Off Only
well-puverIzed, porous soil can give
free play to the law Of capillary attrac-
ton.
Sixth-Properunderdrainlng, by keep
ing warm, dry surface, will prevent to
a great extent, il not entirely, that thing
so fatal to some crops called frost-up-
heavaI.
neutrality-suspicious. have shown
that the temperature of fields lying side
by Side has been changed at depth of
seven inches from deg. 10 IS deg. f.
in favor oil the one drained, and in the
time OF maturing both grain and fruits
of from ten to twelve days, In this way
have wet, cold, baked soils been trans
formed into dry, warm, porous soils,
their productive powergreatly increased,