he air in a Winter's day, and his faith
will be greatly strengthened.

We have, in the northern part of America, most water in the soil in the
Spring of the year, just at the time when we most need a genial warmth
to promote germination. If land is well drained, this water sinks
downward, and runs away in the drains, instead of passing upward by
evaporation.

Drainage, therefore, diminishes evaporation simply by removing the
surplus snow and rain-water by filtration. It thus raises the
temperature of the soil in that part of the season, when water is
flowing from the drains; but, in the heat of Summer, the influence of
the showers which refresh without saturating the soil, and are retained
in it by attraction, is not lessened. As a good soil retains by
attraction about one-half its weight of water that cannot be drained
out, there can be no reasonable apprehension that the "gentle Summer
showers" will be wasted by filtration, even upon thorough-drained land,
while an avenue is open, by the drains, for the escape of drowning
floods.

To show the general effect of drainage, in raising the temperature of
wet lands in Summer, the following statement of Mr. Parkes is valuable.
An elevation of the temperature of the subsoil ten degrees, will be seen
to be very material, when we consider that Indian corn will not vegetate
at all at 53 deg., but will start at once at 63 deg., 55 deg. being its lowest point
of germination:

"As regards the temperature of the water derived from drainage at
different seasons of the year, I am unacquainted with any published
facts. This is a subject of the highest import, as thermometric
observations may be rendered demonstrative, in the truest manner,
of the effect of drainage on the climate of the soil. At present, I
must limit myself to saying, that I have never known the water of
drainage issue from land drained at Midsummer, to depths of four
and five feet, at a higher temperature than 52 deg. or 53 deg. Fahrenheit:
whereas, in the following year and subsequent years, the water
discharged from the same drains, at the same period, will issue at
a temperature of 60 deg., and even so high as 63 deg., thus exhibiting the
increase of heat conferred during the Summer months on the
terrestrial climate by drainage. This is the all-important fact
connected with the art and science of land-drainage."

Besides affecting favorably