INDIANA   FAKMER.
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Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, Mechanics and the Useful Arts.
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B. P. Holloway,)
W.T.Dennis, }
B. T. Reed,     )
Editors.
RICHMOND, IND., DEC. 1.1863.
Hollowar & Co., Publishers.
[Vol. 3 TTo. 5.]
Table of Contents.
Page 66—Virginia State Agricultural Fair.
67—Extracts from Report of Committee on Patents,
Greely's Advice to Young Men, Reaping.
63—Poland OatJ, Agriculture in California, Resulti
worth knowing.
69—Harvesting Corn. Items
70—Hill's Combined Harrow and Roller—Importation of Improved Cattle.
71—Family Sitting Room, Sites for Peach Orchards,
To Drive Away Rata.
12-1$—Editorials—Winter, Guano. Planting Tree», Siberian Crab, Proceedings of N. \V. Pomological
Convention, American Crab Apple.
73—Communications—Real Benefit of Agricultural
Fairs, Tho Plow—Poetry, Indiana Farmer.
74—Wintering Milk Cows.
75—The Kitchen, Telegraph Machine, India Rubber
Boots and Over-shoes, Skin Diseases.
76—Explanation of Agricultural Terms. .,.   .
77—The Way to Spoil Potatoes, To Iron Velvet, Immorality of Poor Fences.
78—Shoe Leather, Scalding Hogs, Prevent Metals
from Rusting, Crystal Palace, Make Candles burn
all night. Expensive Letter.
79—The Grape.
80—Autumn vs. Spring Planting, Economy in Saving
Food for Stock. Western Apples, Potato Pie.
'The following from the. Agricaltor, we
have seen in nearly all our exchanges. The
advantage of underdraining, here summed up,
are mostly real, though perhaps a few are only
imaginary. We have long believed that under-
draining wet and marshy lands would make a
return of the money expended, with handsome
profits, as quickly and as certainly as any thing
the farmer can set himself about.
Let us here sum up the advantages to be
derived from an artificial net work of underground passages or drains, extending through
the subsoil of a field at a depth of say three
feet from the surface, into which all the surplus
water readily descends.
- 1. Removing the water from the pore admits
the air of which is essential to the growth ofthe
roots.
2. The roots extend farther and deeper into
the soil, get a firmer hold upon it, and draw
nourishment from a larger area.
3. The air decomposes vegetable matter and
thus furnishes organic food for the growing
plant.
4. The air and other gases decompose the
earthy parts of the soil, and thus provide new
inorganic food.
5. The free circulation of air in the soil carries in ammonia and other fertilizing substances to the roots of plants.
6. The presence of water causes soils to
bake, so as to render them hard to work, and
also to prevent the free growth and expansion
of roots.
1. When all excess of water is removed,
compact clay soils become light and pulverized
by working them.
8. The free access of air renders poisonous
compounds of iron, magnesea, (zc, inert and
clover and other deep-rooted crops will not be
killed, but they will continue to grow and
flourish from year to year.
0. The depth to which the roots penetrate in
soils, freed from poisons and filled with air, secures to the plants sufficient moisture to withstand the surface effects of drought.
11. The air circulating in the soil, decompo
ses vegetable acids and removes "sourness."
12. The removal of the standing waters allows warmth, which cannot descend through a
body of water, to penetrate farther into tho
soil.
13. By causing the water to descend into
drains, instead of evaporating from the surface, another chief source of coldness is removed.
14. Rain in descending through the ground,
carry the heat of the atmosphere with them,
and thus warm the soil and roots of plants.
15. Draining by rapidly removing the water
in the spring, and after heavy rains, and by
warming the soil, is equivalent to lengthening
the season, and gives a wider range of cultivated plants, a longer time for plowing and working the ground,
16. Land freed from excess of moisture, expands much less in freezing, and the roots of
wheat, clover and other crops remaining in the
ground over winter, are not destroyed by winter kill.
M. Water by sinking through the soil into
drains, is prevented from washing the surface
into gullies, and from carrying away into
streams the richer soluble portions of soils and
manures.
These reasons we believe are sufficient to induce farmers to inquire into the condition of
their soils, and to try the experiment of draining
upon at lea* a small portion of their welted
lands. The experiment need not be on a large
scale. A single acre well drained will suffice
to show whether this means of improvement
may be profitably extended.
 .i«.«■ ,i     ,     ... .
Cure for "Scratches" in Horses.—Wash
clean with Castile soap suds, then annointwith
this mixture, well rubbed together—Equal quantities of fresh lard, gunpowder and spirits of
turpentine.
Faithful attention to the above will cure even
"white stockings," although the horse be constantly worked through "mud time." The
above receipt I have tried frequently, and have
given it to others to try, and have never known
a failure in curing even "hard cases." If any
should have occasion to use it, let them furnish
the results for publication. Wm, Rbnkb,