No. 112.1 205 



until the first of this month, (December,) in which period! laid 

 seventy-two thousand five hundred and fifty drain tiles, (72,550,) 

 in trenches varying from two and a half to three feet in depth ; 

 the tiles being fifteen inches in length, the whole extent of my 

 drains made this year is five thousand four hundred and ninety- 

 six rods, (5,496 rods,) or seventeen miles and fifty six rods ; of 

 this distance, about forty rods are laid with double tiles of large 

 size ; a large proportion of the tiles used by me are of the horse 

 shoe pattern, rising two inches ; a proportion of one inch pipes 

 are laid also. The whole cost of the tiles is six hundred and seven- 

 ty dollars^ equal to about twelve cents per red for the tiles. The 

 cost of preparing the trenches was tw^elve and a half cents per 

 rod, and the expense of laying the tiles in the trenches and fill- 

 ing them, was three cents per rod. 



The drains are laid in nearly parallel lines, from thirty to 

 forty feet apart, draining the water direct from the highest to the 

 lowest parts of my farm; at the bottom of the drains, or at the 

 depth of thirty to thirty-six inches, I found a hard compact bot- 

 tom on which the tiles are laid, no other preparation being neces- 

 sary. 



I w'ould here remark, that from the natural declivity of my 

 fields, the water did not often appear on the surface of the ground, 

 yet the excess of w^ater, even on the highest grounds, almost ev- 

 ery year destroyed portions of the crops, by winter killing or 

 freezing out. 



In the year 1851, I laid 16,000 tiles, which witli the quantity 

 laid this year, completes the drainage of about 200 acres of my 

 farm. I deem it to be thoroygh, and it is so esteemed by others 

 who have preceded me in this essential system of farm manage- 

 ment. 



One important feature, discernable, is the rechiiming twenty- 

 four acres of soil which had never been tilled, producing only 

 coarse aquatic grasses unfit for hay or i-asture ; this portion of 

 the farm has hitlierto been charged with the interest of cost and 

 also taxts, without any return, a portion which hereafter will 

 yield crops of any grain or grasses, equal to any other land. I 



