AGRICULTURE IN OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 851, 21 March 1868, Page 14

AGRICULTURE IN OTAGO.

To ensure success in any system of ield or, garden culture, thorough drainage is imperative. A farmer may till his land on the. most . approved principles, ..select, his seeds of the best varieties, and , "be liberal in his application of manures ; Imt his success will be greatly marred, vnless thorough provision has been omatie for carrying off both uurface and

underground water. From overlooking," or not giving . proper attention to this, stoaUefr* Jrarons and __, jrpiae samples "are produced • ""in short, more : of 1 the; 1 fruita* of the e&rth are, from this cause, lost .or destroyed, than'from drought, vermin, or any other destructive agency against which, the farmer has to contend. Not only are the destructive effects arising from the. neglect | of this first principle, apparent directly in 1 the products which are yielded, by the soil;. but to it also can be traced the origin of many of those pests which give ao much annoyance and disappointment to the cultivator^ and which are so difficult to exterminate. - Tt is a well determined fact, 'that' the benefits which a plant receives from the fall of rain are very much decreased if the water is allowed to remain and soak the ground, and be not carried off immediately. The gardener thoroughly understands | this fact, and it is well illustrated in their , potting of plants. A considerable portion of the bottom of the pot is filled with i loose material, through which the water applied to the surface, at once gets away, and leaves the soil in a fine moist condition. What suits the pet plant will suit the field. The good rain does to the ground and plant, is immediately communicated. It is not necessary that the earth should be soaked in the water to develope its fertility, and promote the | growth of the plant. The rain, when it \ falls, should have the means of at once draining away, leaving the land moist and sweet, instead of being retained to make it i wet and sour.

Again, the ground is full of springs, which, though they do not always rise to the surface to show themselves, nevertheless exist, and their operation is to causa a constant dampness and sourness inimical to vegetable life. The roots of the tree or plant, in search of sustenance, reach these spots, but the contact is not in their favor. Instead of the root drawing a sound, healthful support, it extracts and diffuses a baleful . influence through the whole plant, resulting in disease and premature decay. Fortunately for our farmers, draining to as great an extent as in the Old Country, is not required heie. At Home, it constitutes one of the heaviest charges on a farmer ; with us it will be of a comparatively light character, excepting on some of the most level and lowlying of our plains. The nature of our subsoil is of a much more porous and open description than there, hence a large amount of underground draining already exists, and all our farmer requires to do is to supply deficiencies, where they are found to exist, and follow up to completion what Nature has begun for him. Atmospheric absorption, too, acts in his favor. Sometimes the drying winds may possibly scourge and wither the blade or leaf more than is desirable, but the desired verdure is soon recovered, and freshness and vigor are everywhere displayed. Drainage is, however, not only beneficial so far as the removal of surplus water is concerned, it is also, in other respects, highly valuable. The roots, as well as the stems and branches, require in a less than proportionate degree, an amount of air, light, and heat, to bring the plant to its development. These are supplied to a certain extent by drainage, be the drains constructed on the old " mmlin" style, or the modern pipe tile. The air. admitted tlirough the openings of the drains, acts on the soil in a silent, but steady manner as a subsoiling agent. Any one who has seen an old drain opened tip, must be satisfied of the truth of this. The "rents" and cracks which are observable on either side, extending more or less inwards, with the soil contiguous to them in a highly pulverised state, proves their importance. Plants send their roots to a great distance in search of nourishment, and the soil being, by moans of the drains, loosened, makes it of easier and speedier accomplishment, resulting in a larger and better return. If some of our settlers would but apply the principle as an experiment, they would soon find its value in the improved character of their land, rendering it more reliablo for producing crops — crops of a superior quality, as well as adapting it for a greater diversity. •

Remark able Accident to a War Ship.' — The United States frigate Monongahela was lying off the town of Prederickstedt, St. Croix, on the 18th November. Commodore Bissel, the officer in command of the vessel, in describing -what happened, states that they first heard a noise like the blowing off of steam. The water waa then seen to recede from the beach. In a moment the current was changed, and the ship was swept on towards the beach. ' Anchors were torn up. The ship was then left high on the beach, the water retired and a^ain came back, in an immense wall, -which lifted the ship at least thirty feet high over a row of warehouses into the first street of the town. The return of the water carried the ship back to the beach, and left it stranded, on a coral reef. Only four men were lost. The vessel was of course much damaged,.