Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-01-04
aer,cu,tur, Amo.r the Ancient.

Prof. McBryde finds among the writings
OF Columella, VINO wrote nearly seventeen
centuries before Elkin2ton was born, the
following passage concerning the improve
ment of lsnd by drainage: ''lf il be wet,
let the abundance of moisture be dried up
by bitches. OF these. We are acquainted
with two kinds, covered and open. In
compact and calcareous soils they ale left
open but where the ground is more por-
Gus. some of them are left open and some
covered, so that the free vents OF the latter
may discharge into the former II is ne
ccssary, however, to make the open ores
wider al the top and sloping and contracted
ST the bottom, like inclined pan-iiles, for
those with perpendicular sides are soon
damaged by water, and filed up by falling
in Of the sides. In addition to this, the
covered ones should be sunk three feet
deep. and. after being half filed with
small stones and coarse gravel, should be
made level with the surface by returning
the earth thrown out in digging them. Ii
neither stones nor gravel are convenient,
then a bundle OF twigs twisted together
like a rope, should be made Of such thick
ness as to exactly fit and fill the bottom Of
the ditch. This should be stretched along
the bottom, and cypress or pine branches,
or any other kind if these can not be oo-
tanned, pressed down above 1t, and the
soil thrown over all. first placing ct the
head and mouth of the drain two large
stones, one against each Of the sides, and
q single stone across these after the man.
ner of little bridge, in order to support
the sides and keep them from falling In
and obstructing the ingress and egress OF
the water"
How very like The methods now recom-
mended by modern agricultural writers, and
pracused by the bes; farmers to-day. dow
very familiar, too. do the words OF Colu-
mella sound complaining of the degeneracy
of the age in which he lived, and regrettlng
the s'gcod old times" when ''our worthy
ancestors esteemed it their glory 10 take
care OF their farming interests, and to de-
vote themselves 10 agriculture. Later,
Palladius writes approvingly of experiment
farms, managed somewhat after the style
OF the experiment stations We are working
50 hard to introduce into this country at
the present. time At these farms, the
Egyptians planted many varieties of SEEDS
in little plats where the hardness, proliri-
cacy and excellence of each was deter
mined by close observation and watchful-
ness The list of cultivated plants 10 those
early days would equal the catalogue of
almost any of our leading seedsmen. Great
pains were taken IN the selection and saw
ing Of field seeds, particularly wheat, the
best ears or heads being cullcd out at har
vest time and threshed separately, and af-
forwards cleansed in sieves which separa-
ted the small and inferior from the large.
plump kernels. Seeds were also soaked
in chemical solutions before sowing, to en-
sure termination and give the young
plants more vigorous growth, from which
it would appear that the origin of artificial
fertilization dates far back OF the days of
Liebig, Vile or Stockbridge.
Fields were kept fallow for the purpose
of resting them and increasing their subse-
quent productiveness, seventeen centuries
ago, the land receiving repeated ploughings
to sprout and destroy seeds Of foul weeds
which increase under ordinary or careless
husbandry. Clover, lucern and other le-
guminous plants were grown and turned in
10 fertilize the soil, precisely as by the mo-
dern system of green msnuring. The
theory of ploughing clay lands in ridges
and leaving sandy lands flat, was also well
understood by the ancients. Animal ma
nures of all kids, the sweepings of streets
and court yaids, ashes, lime, salt and
chalk were all highly valued as fertilizers,
and were collected and used with care.
The breeding of animals for improvement
was well understood by the R,mans, who
also have left books of veterinary practice,
which might not be entirety unworthy of
modern cattle doctors.
But we had not expected TO learn that
the reaplng machine or "header' was in
common use in the year So of our era
Pliny, however, writes of harvesting ma
chine beng pushed through the grain by
oxen hitched in reverse position, the Van,
armed with sharp teeth. going before and
taking off the heads which fall into the
van behind. Three hundred years later,
another writer describes a similar machine
mounted on two low wheels. and having
two poles il the rear, between which
well trained OK is harnessed for pushing
the carriage, with Its sharp teeth, around
into the fields of grain. The driver fol-
lowed behind, and with levers or otherwise,
was enabled to raise or depress the cutters
at will. The machine was driven back
and forth across the field and in q short
time performed the work of several hands