to 04* On Drnitihtg, l^y 



total of lofs fco the country than is imagined. As rumbling fivers 

 would be of no ufe here, the only method of drying thcfe places, 

 is, by digging a pond of two or thri-*e feet deep in the ioweft 

 corner, proportioning the fize of it to that of rhe plot or quan- 

 tity of water generally collected upon it. And although the 

 fize cannot at firil be afcertained, it will be better to m ike it ra- 

 ther fmall as large ; as, (liould it anfwt r, no land is then Inll. 

 If too fmall, it can be enlar.^ed ; remi.-ving the earth that is ilug 

 out of it to the upper part of the wet fpot, for rhis is nevr to 

 be lofl: fight of; and making a fmall cut alongfl ihe lowcfl fide 

 into the pond. »► 



There are on many farms, particularly in elevated fituntions 

 among rifing grounds, fpots in the form of a bafon, which are 

 commonly filled with water during winter, and in rai:iy fea- 

 fons; and they will be more or iefs (o as the rifing lands Ground 

 them are more or Iefs extenfive. T.'iey are always loft j and as 

 many of them are on hard bottoms, their recovery would be 

 a confiderable acquifition to farms of this defcription. Co 

 hazard any thing more than mere fpeculation, on a fubje£i 

 that has hitherto been thouojht dc-fperate, would be prefump- 

 tion. But I have many times obferved, in dry w;'ather. the 

 water more quickly to difappear from ofF fuch . parts, thii I 

 could fuppofe to have taken place oriiy from evaporation ; the 

 more efpecially as, even during that parried, there behoved more 

 water to have fallen into them from the circumjacent grounds, 

 than I could have fuppofed to have been evaporated by the heat 

 of the fun and air. This fiiows that the water found its w ly by 

 draining through the earth, in confequence of the elevated fitua- 

 tion of the bafon. In fuch places, therefore, where the eleva- 

 tion is confiderable, this experiment might be made.. In the 

 middle of the bafon dig a pit 5 or 6 feet diameter, carting the 

 rich mould on the top to fome poor piece of land. Let the pit 

 be dug 5 or 6 feet deep, or until a ftratum of fand or loofe 

 gravel is come at, but not deeper than 8 reet j then fill up with 

 ilones, covering them pretty thick with Itraw before the earth 

 is put over them. Such a confiderable body of water, in imme- 

 diate contact with the bed of fand or gravel, may probably force 

 a pafTage through it in fome one or more directions ; by which 

 the difcharge may be in fome meafure eq luhzed with the influx 

 of waters from above ; at leaft in the uimmer feafon. But in 

 fituations where the bottom of the bdfon is on a level with the 

 furrounding plain, fuch an operation would be as impracticable 

 as unfuccefsful. Even fuppofing the bafon dry in fummcr, a 

 pit funk here would infallibly bring up water. Suppofi ng, how- 

 ever/ the above fcheme ihouid not fucceed, ftill it would be bet- 

 ter 



