Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-17
TWENTY THIRD PAPER.

changes produced III the character OF Hloss
soils by proper drainage. OF all mechan-
zeal means of modifying the physical char
acter and the general productiveness OF the
soil, drainage deserves the first considera-
tion. Even soils which appear to have
sufficient natural drainage almost always
respond generously to even imperfect arti-
fetal systems of drainage. Soils whose
surfaces dry quickly after a raia are not
always dry to a sufficient depth to allow OF
profitable cultivation. a small amount Of
time and money spent in opening trenches
and laying drains would be well repaid
each year for as long ss the drains were
kept open. There is at variable distance
beneath the surface of most soils stratum
of hardpan which acts as a check to the
further descent of the soil water. This
seam of hardpan does not always run par
allel to the surface Of the ground, but on
hillsides often juts out, and is made appa-
rent by the escape Of little streams OF wa
ter, and which continue TO flow as long as
the earth above has any liquid water to be
drained off When a soil Is saturated with
water, as after heavy rain, the water
Immediately begins to run off through
the subsoil and along the hardpan
until some means OF egress is
found II we suppose that the hardpsn
is parallel or nearly so with the surface,
the temporary water hle-the line CORE
spending to the surface OF the liquid water
OF the soil at any given time-would not
fall with the same rate OF descent all along
the line at the same time. The water would
begin to run off at the edges first, and it
would be some time, specially If the drain
age was poor, hef. re tie water at the middle
OF the lire would descend. As the drain
age proceeded the tendency OF the tenn
porary water line would be to approximate
to, and finally to correspond with the sur.
face of the hardpan. TIE water does not
sink into the soil simultaneously all along
the line, but instead, the different parts OF
the soil are drained SUCCESSFULLY according
to their distance from the drains, SO that,
even if soil be very porous, unless the
subsoil be too permeable to liquid water, in
which case the soil becomes leacby and IN
fit for cultivation, the escape of the water
may be rendered much more rapid by
opening parallel drains through the soil.
The effect of these will, of course, depend
upon the distance apart, their depth, and
the nature Of the soil.
THE ACTION or DRAINS
Upon soils may be summed up under these
five heads l. It relieves the soil of excess
OF moisture. .. 1t deepens the soil. 8. It
causes the water to percolate through the
soil, instead of flowing over it. 4 1t in
creases the tillibility of the soil. 8. 1t is
conducive to the general health of the COM
munity. l. In relieving the soil OF its
excess of moisture the good effects are not
confined to the time gained in planting
and the labor saved in cultivation. The
departure of the water is followed by a
rapid rise in the warmth of the soil, and
the acquiring of those physical chemical
conditions needful to termination. We
have seen that soils covered with visible
water are invariably cold, and unfit for
plant nourishment. Also, that the cold
ness was caused by the difficulty with
which water absorbs heat, and by the great
amount of heat rendered latent or neutral
lied by the conversion of liquid water into
vapor during evaporation. By the trst
action of drains, then, the surplus water Ia
removed the soil is allowed to become
warm; time is gained in the planting
Of crops and the formation of a crust
upon the surface soil is largely pre-
vented. 2. Under drainage deepens
the soil. 1t will be remembered that in
speaking of soil and subsoil we defined the
distinction between them to be that the
one contains decayed vegetable matter or
humus, while the other does not. By
actual observation ithas been found that the
depth of the dividing line between the soil
and the subsoil descends as the drainage
improves and that in shallow soils deep
u1der-drainage is often followed by an in
crease of six inches or more in the depth
of the soil. The water flowing through
the soil mechanically divides many of the
soil particles and leaves the surface soil in
friable and porous co 1ditior. The plant
roots easily penetrate to the depth of the
drainage level, and thus have access to
greatly increased supply of plant food.
This virtual deepening of the soil is fol-
lowed by I'll of the benefits which would
succeed the application Of artificial manures,
and which would be limited only by the
composition Of the subsoil. Most farmers,
especially in California. plow shallow; and
but few cultivate as deep as would be con-
sistent with the benefits to be derived.
Where the land is imperfectly drained the
plant roots can hardly penetrate below the
line of cultivation ; but were
THE SOIL LoosENED UP
And rendered accessible to the rootlets, the
benefits would be almost identical with
those which would accrue from a deeper
blowing. With the deepening of the soil
comes increased available plant food, de-
crease of the amount of requisite cultiva-
ton, greater resistance to drought, less de.
pendence on The peculiarities of the season,
ana hence greater average productiveness.
These results alone would warrant man
in spending one or two years revenue In
providing good system OF under drainage
for the ''theater of his labers." 8. By
causing the water to filter through isstead
OF allowing it to run over the soil, the
soluble salts which are held in solution are
fixed in the SOIL and the nutritive ones most
u occurred for the future use Of plants. We
know that the soil possesses the power of
fixing solid matter from the liquids perco-
latipg through il, and that this is very
important source of plant food. 1t is
curious fact, that if solution be allowed
TO filter through a soil, it will contain diff
ferent salts in solution after it has passed
through-that is, come the bases ard acids
lave been fixed by and retained in the soil,
while their places in the solution have
been taken by materials previously
existing in the soil 1t has been
fouud by experiment that phosphoric
acid and potash are very easily fixed in the
coil, and that there is, therefore, little
danger of this being washed away and
lest. The Ditrates, however, are OF all
salts the most generally soluble in water.
and they also pass more readily through
the soil than most other nutritive sub
stances. This accounts for the fact that
an excessive application Of nitrates will
give no improved results over much
smaller application. TIE surplus not used
during the first season by the crop is al
most invariably washed out of reach
of the succeeding years crop. There
fore, nitrates, the most costly of artificial
fertilizers, should never be used except in
quantities as needed by the came years
crop, as all not taken up by that crop will
be permanently lost. Lime salts are also
quite easily soluble in carbonated water, and
are therefore generally washed to some dis.
tance into the subsoil. Il is an estab.
lished fact that sabsoils generally contain
more lime than do the surface soils. This
is owing directly to the solubility of lime
salts. They are, however, not generally
washed bodily away, but are only accumu-
I.ko a