The (old) farmer's almanack . whole subject is more fully explained in that work, fromwhich we take the following: The object of draining is to remove an excess ofmoisture from the soil. Water standing stagnant in the soil diminishes the good effects of manures very much, by pre-venting decomposition, makes it impos-sible to work lands early in the spring,prevents seeds from germinating, ormakes them germinate more slowly, anddelays the ripening of crops, lesseningtheir quantity, and making their qual-ity inferior. An excess of water in the soil alsoexcludes the air. This is injurious, be-caus
The (old) farmer's almanack . whole subject is more fully explained in that work, fromwhich we take the following: The object of draining is to remove an excess ofmoisture from the soil. Water standing stagnant in the soil diminishes the good effects of manures very much, by pre-venting decomposition, makes it impos-sible to work lands early in the spring,prevents seeds from germinating, ormakes them germinate more slowly, anddelays the ripening of crops, lesseningtheir quantity, and making their qual-ity inferior. An excess of water in the soil alsoexcludes the air. This is injurious, be-cause the air does much to promote thechemical changes in the mineral partsof the earth which are necessary to thegrowth of plants, and converts the or-ganic materials in the soil into vegeta-ble acids, which give it the name ofsour or cold soil. The effect of thorough drainage uponthe growth of plants is often very strik-ing. It may be seen in the cut, wherethe plants on the drained soil are farmore vigorous in growth and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear1848
