Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-07-31

Mr.. A. N. Cole, who Is styled by the AL
bany journal as the veteran editor and horti-
culturist and who has an extensive farm In
Welsvile, N. Y, near Rochester, has attrao-
led considerable attention 10 what he calls
1.-THE new agriculture" Mr.. Cole derived
his FIRST ideas on the subject from Horace
Greeley, who told him OF the wonderful fer
tility Of the soil In sections OF California In
the neighborhood Of subterranean rivers as
compared with the desert about them, and
from the fact that Professor Roberts Of
Ithaca had traced red clover roots 10 a depth
Of eighteen feet, on bed Of gravel OVERLAPPING
water. These and like observations led Mr.
Cole TO assume that plants will reach down to
water sources directly beneath them and there
by gain a luxuriance which cannot be attained
under ordinary conditions. Mr.. Cole has
tested his theory on a piece Of land where
the soil was but ten or twelve inches deep
and rested on clay. II was regarded AZ the
worst kind OF land" by farmers in the
neighborhood. The soil under his treatment
has become wonderfully productive. The
system Of irrigation is az follows:
Trenches run horizontally across the slope
at depth of FIVE or six feet, the distance
apart depending on the quantity of stone re-
moved from the soil In digging, as Mr.. Cole
depends entirely upon the stone secured in
this way. First, there are placed in the
bottom of the trenches about 1S inches In
depth Of round stone, averaging from six TO
eight inches In diameter. This is covered
with from four TO six inches OF small fiat
stone over which are thrown the smaller
stones which are found in excavating, then
a covering of straw, then earth 10 q common
level The trenches on Mr. Coles farm
we're about 20 feet apart. These main
trenches have no outlets like ordinary drains,
40 they we're designed as reservoirs for the
surplus water that sOaks into them from the
surface. The trenches are connected through
out the field by shallow drains leading from
the upper TO the lower trenches continuously,
until the last cross drain discharges the sur
plus water into the highway gutter. The
CROSS drains are made smaller than the main
trenches, and are simply deep enough TO e.
cape being disturbed by the pillow. They
are never 10 deep within two or three feet
as the main trenches from which and to
which they are laid. The surface water goes
into the main trench, which retains it until
full enough to discharge It into the next
lower trench through the shallow lAterAls,
or until II is absorbed by the growing plants.
1t will be seen at glance that this sort of
irrigation can only be undertaken in the
vicinity of large towns or where an acre Of
productive land has great value. Mr.. Cole
estimates that it has cost him $500 per acre
to bring It to it's present condition of high
productiveness, but he holds that it has made
the land worth several times that sum, and
thai his system will pay large dividends from
the increased yield thus secured He thinks
that be can get ten tons OF hay from the acre,
and other crops in proportion. He has de-
voted his improved lands to small fruits with
astonishing results. Doubtless correspond
ing results could be secured at q much less
cost by q system of trenches less expensive
than that of Mr.. Cole. There are thousands
of acres Of soil near our large cities now
comparatively worthless which could be made
highly productive by some form Of Mr.. Coles
new agriculture"