No. 112.] 203 



calf barn, five rods from dairy house, 20 by 20 feet, cost $75, 

 to rear calves in the spring and winter ; alley in center, and 

 stabling each side ; ice house, 16 by 12 feet, cost $15. In addi- 

 tion to the above, there are on the farm three hay and grain barns, 

 42 by 32 feet. HORACE CLAPP. 



Draining. 



• 



The committee to which was referred the communications of 

 Robert J. Swan, of Fayette, Seneca county , N. D. Benedict, su- 

 perintendent of the State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, and Jonathan 

 Talcott, of Rome, have had the same under consideration, and re- 

 spectfully report, that by the rules laid down for our government, 

 Mr. Swan is entitled to the first premium, he having laid on his 

 farm, during the last year, seventeen miles and sixteen rods of 

 underground drains, fiom thirty to thirty-six inches deep, and all 

 of it laid with tiles. He states the cost per rod at 28J cents, in- 

 cluding the cost of the tiles. The cost of digging the ditches from 

 two to two and a half feet deep, he puts at the very small sum of 

 12-2 cents ; a sum that is from 20 to 25 per cent less than the 

 committee, from their experience, supposed it could be done for 

 in common excavation. 



Mr. Benedict states that he has laid on the grounds belonging 

 to the asylum, during the last year, 943 rods, three feet in depth, 

 with three-inch horse-shoe tile, at an expense of 92 cents a rod, 

 the tile costing 30 cents and the labor being stated at 60 cents a 

 rod. 



The great difference in the cost of the labor in Mr. Swan's 

 drains and Mr. Benedict's, is calculated to attract attention. If 

 to the price Mr. Swan puts to digging the ditch, be added the 

 cost of laying tlie pipe and filling, we have 15.1 ct^uts against 62 

 of Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict's ditches probably avercige three 

 inches deeper than Mr. Swan's, and as Mr. Benedict puts in the 

 bottom of his ditch a board for the tile to rest uiK)n,it is probable 

 that an allowance should be made on this account ; still there is 

 a large margin, that perhaps may be charged to the fact, that it 

 generally costs the public more to do work than it does an indi- 



