Year: 1868

the same field. There has not been
UNDERTAKING. enough done in Della


ware to test fairly the effect upon the
production of crops. There has been


no thorough drainage of any farm, nor
so far as [ know, of any entire field;
and we have, therefore, no accurate


means of determining how much it
adds to our products. But the gener-


al opinion is that, upon lands which
require draining, as most of our clay
| lands do, the increase will be about
one-t third. | speak now of grain crops
and clover; for as to other grasses, and
especially red-top and timothy, / am


not satisfied. Speaking from my own
observation upon our own lands
| (which is pretty good clay loan, upon
limestone rock) thai underdrainiRg is
of very marked benefit. Upon more
tenacious clay, with Eat surface, how
ever. l should expect great benefit to
grass crops from thorough drainage,
It should have been mentioned be-
| fore that in some of our swamp lands
drains have been made by cutting the
ditch of the width of about eighteen
| inches until within eight or ten inches


of the bottom, and then contracting to


the width of say ten inches, leaving a
shoulder in the earth on elch side,
and laying upon these, across tie ditch
green oak slaves, an inch and q half
to two inches In thickness. Some of
these bitches in black land, and not
more than eighteen inches in depth
have been constructed almost eleven
years, and are now just beginning 10
give way. Others in clay land that
dug to the depth of two aud half to
three feet, have been known to operate


well for over twenty years.


But the parties who have been using
these cheap bitches are now replacing
them with sole tile. They say they
have no dificulty In white elm sWamps
In getting down to solid ground, most
ly blue clay, on which to place the
tile.


1t thus appears that the rudest
methods in undertaking. afford such
conclusive evidence of its advantages
that parties who once make a begin
ming In the work never fail to 90 on


with it, or finally to adopt what has
been so completely demonstrated TO be
the bsst material-the drain tile. 1t
is obvious to my mind, that although
but a small amount, comparatively, of
understanding has yet been done In
this county, the wol K will very rapidly
spread and increase in the future. All
we now require to insure this result is
the establishment of tile works in the
county. There is no doubt but it
would at once find a demand for all
the tile it could turn out The hand
ling and transportation of tile is very
expensive, and therefore We should
have them manufactured in every
county.


In concluding these general obser-
vstions upon the cultivation of crops
and the management of meadows and
pasture lands In Delaware county,
the intelligent reader will scarcely
need to be told what I think the lesson
is which this practice and its results
teach, in regard to profitable and sue
cessful farming. First of all, whatever
branch of agriculture a man may be
engaged in, whether mainly in tillage
crops or in stock, there can not, In
either case, be any profitable results,
unless he have his land in good condi-
ton. Large crops are always profita-
ble-small crops are always grown at a
loss. The experience of the Delaware
county farmers has demonstrated that
the only practical way to keep our
clay lands IN good condition, is 10
break them up as deep as we can,
eight or ten inches, in the fall, if pos
sibIe, throwing the subsoil up so that
the frost can have a good chance at it.
This will loosen it, as will the stirring
it will get in summer in working the
corn crop. Then, after carefully saw
ing and applying our barn-yard man
ure, our great dependence must be
clover,-clover, for the two fold pur
pose of euriching the land with its
large growth of vegetable matter, and
of assisting in the important work of
loosening i. and keeping it friable, with
its far-reaehing network of roots
Air and moisture must penetrate the
earth or crops will not grow. It has
been demonstrated that plants will
grow with no other food than air and
water, but without these, the best soil
will not produce vegetation.


But again urge the importance Of
plaster (gypsum) as applied to this
great renovator, clover. Every farm
er should make thorough trial of it.
My impression is that there are very
few soils where it may not be applied
with advantage, and it must never be
forgotten that no fertilizer is anything
like as cheap as this.