, 1883-06-30
CORN CULTURE AND DRAIN
AGE.

five expect to grow corn on much
Of our western land, we must drain.
1t is quite enough to know that corn
in a drained field, in a wet season or
after a late spring at least, will be far
better than corn in an undrained
field, right alongside Of the other.
This any one can see il he will take
the trouble to investigate, for while
drainage is not as common as it
should be, it is common enough to
furnish such Illustrations, to almost
any one who will go to even a little
trouble. Corn cannot grow in cold
soil. That is certain. And If a soil
is wet and will not drain either by
natural or artificial means, it must
wait in the spring for the sun to
evapOrate the water before it Is warm
enough for plant growth, and If it is
a wet, late spring the corn cannot be
planted until it ought to be well on
in the process Of growth. Then, if a
drOuth comes it is unable to sustain
itself, because Of its backwardness,
failure must result, and the soil be-
ing compact it cannot absorb what
moisture there may be in the air, and
consequently the direct effect of
drouth upon such land is greater
than upon that which is drained.
Briefly stated, these are sufficient
reasons for draining.
1t is a wicked waste Of fertilizers
to apply them to a wet soil. The
soil being compact the manures lie
upon or in it, as it would lie upon
rock or hard wood. 1t cannot alb
sorb the element growth contained
in the manure, and it cannot take
advantage Of the mechanical influ-
ence Of the fertilizer. If rain comes
instead of carrying the elements
down through the soil, as it should
do, it releases them in the soil, and
perhaps throws them to the surface,
and in either case, to a large degree,
they pass off into the air through
evaporation. A solid compact soil
means a broken down soil. Many
soils that will not grow a crop of
corn are not lacking in elements of
plant growth. But they have be-
come thus broken down, or perhaps
disorganized, and nothing will do
them any good but thorough me-
chanical reconstruction. If we take
a fresh lump Of earth and place 1t in
a pot it will absorb a certain amount
Of water, and il there is q hole in the
bottom Of the pot what water the
lump will not retain will trickle
through and leave the earth in a nat
ural condition-in the condition in
which the soil in our fields should
always be. But If we stop up the
hole at the bottom and keep pouring
water on the earth its porosity will
be destroyed and it will become to.
tally unfit to furnish nourishment tc
plants. An undrained wet soil Is
simply the lump Of earth in the pot
without any hole in the bottom and
too much water in it. The farmer
who spends time and money in man.
uring such lands, maintains n very
large leak in his profits. II his soil
has had its porosity broken down by
the continual presence of wafer he
must get the surplus water out and
keep it out. Then he can break up
his land and restore the lost porosity.
II the soil has become disorganized
through excessive CROPPING perhaps
he will heed to restore the elements
Of productive soil, through a judic.
ious system Of manuring or a proper
rotation of crops,i depending largely
upon clover for the success Of his
system Of rotation. Western R,rdl.