Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-02-08


Why is it? You take pound Of water
and mix it with a hundred pounds of
soil, convert this water into yapor and
the one pound of water will lower the
of the one hsndred pounds
of soil ten degrees. 1t requires four
times as much heat to change water in
to vapor after it reaches the boiling
point as it took to raise that water from
freezing up to boiling. Land drained
will be found six or seven degrees warm
er in the spring than land undrained.
There is certain temperature at which
grains will germinate; when the soil is
a little colder they will rot. Not only
does the termination of the seed depend
on the temperature, but the progress
and growth of the plant also depends
upon it. You will therefore have to
delay your planting and cultlvatlng II
YOU don't drain your land.
Land is not only warmer and earlier
but easier to work. The clay here is
not as tough and retentive of moisture
as some in the northern part of the
State, that it is almost impossible to do
do anything with in wet or damp wealth
er. But by drainage that tenacious blue
clay soon becomes loose and friable; the
drainage seems to have changed Its
character After drainage it works like
soil, bat before it is drained it is like the
clay of pug mill. The drainage OF al
most all land makes it richer in two
ways. The rain that falls On drained
land brings down ammonia from the at
mosphere, the 3 ids of the soil combine
with the ammonia and retain ii, but IN
H.
from the surface and carries the ammo
MIA off, so that it never gets into the
soil at all. By drainage you prevent the
escape of nitrogen, and it is retained
there in the shape of ammonia salts.
Another reason why drainage makes
land richer is because in dry land the
air pentrates and causes vegetable mat
ters to decay, the soil becomes richer
and the next crop will find these de-
composed matters valuable for their
growth. Drained lands, when in past
ure or meadow, bear a much better
quality of herbage. The wild grass, so
called, of swales, is not grass, but sedge,
and contains but little nutriment for
stock. Drain these swales and good nu-
tritiOus grasses and clover will take the
place of an almost useless vegetation.
But the most striking bhne6t of drain
age is seen in the better, crops you will
be able to secure. On eight acres of good,
rich, but undrained land, sowed spring
barley at the same time sowed barley
upon two acres of well drained land. On
| the undrained land l harvested 26 bush
else to the acre, on the drained land 46
buhsels to the acre. That year barley
brought an unusually good price, 81 25 IA
bushel-the difference of 20 bushels in
quantity made difference of S25 when
sold; the draining cost me S22 so an
acre, so had 81 80 clear gain.
| The farm own is now about one mile
| in length and half mile the other way,
or 32O acres. Running through this
there was brook, except in very dry
time. When l wanted it most there
was no brook there. There were, how.
ever, several wet, springy places. BY
draining these, wet has been converted
into a spring, and affords good supply
of water.
would also drain lands that are toe
dry. Do you think it is like blowing
hot and cold to drain wet land to make
it dry, and dry land to make it moist
lWhere your land is dry and hard the
water that falls on it does not penetrate
but runs off but if you underdrain sucf
LANDS, Just as deep as you drain the lane
will freeze, and frost is great sub
Isoiler. You can moisten the hardest
and driest soil by this means, because
when the soil is made loose and porous
capillary attraction will bring up wate
from below. We drained the marsh il
the southwest side of this farm, aDC
made it tolerably dry. In the fall o
the year, after drouth, l found tn,
ground looking as if it was covered will
light snow; the water containing linn
had come to the surface, and as 1t evap
GRATED had left its lime in the surface
, This showed the effect of capillary at
traction.
Question-Why wouldn't subsoilini
do?
Prof. Townshend-It would do just a
well but if the frost does it for nothing
why not let it do it? Besides, if heav.
rains come upon subsoiled, but undrain
ed land, it will be as hard as ever. Blu
drain it, and let the frost subsoil it, ant
it will remain loose and mellow. B.
. the drainage of hard clay land you ma.
bring 1t to a condition in which it will
suffer mnch less from drought. Drain
age is of two kinds; surface drainag,
and undertakings. By blowing so a
to secure surface drainage,a a good GRO
NAV sometimes be obtained; but surfac
drainage has few of the advantages o
undertaking. In some parts of tn
, State there is no effort to secure ever
surface drainage.
Question: would like to know wha
was done with that crop of barley yo1
spoke about2
Prof. Townshend-As long as l KEEP
it took good care Of it, and the frs
man that offered me 81 25 a bushel fo
it, got it, and L put the money in m
pocket. Whether the purchaser made
into malt, or into pearl barley | do no
: remember that l ever learned.
1t may be we'll to remember that IN
derdraining may be employed to carr
off surplus water from low or spring
places 1t may be employed with
: view to improve the textute and condi
> tion of the soil, or it may be used t
, collect water to be utilized for stoc
purposes. The special object in vie,
will generally determine the size of til
: to be used, and the depth at which
+ should be laid. On one very importan
. point l feel bound to express a decide
opinion, namely, that no tile but per
, fectly cylindrical or round one is wort
, laying. With such tile true bottom
can always be secured. l have also t
r remind you that in undertaking it
necessary to keep clear of the roots an
o trees, especially of willow and poplar
: which will soon find their way into an
q tile that carries constant stream, an
! they will form complete obstruction.
NEUTRALIzED.
In what way a Prevalent Evil may be show