1803. Method of ByAUungprrF^lfcil in F.Jfex^^c, 279 



furrows, they arc liiible to ii-jury from the feet of the horfes em- 

 ployed thereon, either in c;irt or plough, during the after opera- 

 tions. Thcfe things being held in view, our method of dridnage 

 will be eafiiy comprehended. 



AVe flrlt begin with the j>lough, which goes twice uji and 

 down, making a deep and clean furrow, and fqrms the rough out- 

 line of the drain. Suppohng that there is a ditch at the under 

 part of the field, a common ipade is inflantly ufcd to digx)ut the 

 Ipace of ground, which the plough, from the turn of the horfes, 

 could not reach, and this is cleaned out by a boy with a fhovel, to 

 the depth of the furrow ploughed. In converting this furrow in- 

 to a drain, the work of one man and two boys is necefTary, who 

 alternately ufe two fpades, a fliovel, and a hce. The firll fpade 

 is four inches wide at top, three at bottom, and twelve in length ; 

 the fecond is tliree iaiches wide at top, tv/o at bottom, and fifteen 

 in length 5 the hoe refembles a fcoop, is about two inches diame- 

 ter, ar»d a foot long, with a crane neck.., in which a long handle 

 is fixed *. After the piougli, the firit fpade is ufcd, and th« 

 crumbs are cleaned out by the Ihovel : the narrow fpade is next 

 reforted to, and the crund:)s occafioncd thereby are taken out by 

 the hoe, wdien a drain is formed fibour 24 inches' deep, 2 inches 

 wide at bottom, and increahng gradually towards the top to the 

 breadth of the furrow. During the going on of thcfe operations, 

 the other boy is employed in coilec^irig liiraw, previoufly brought 

 to die field, for filling up the drains, a waggon load of v/hich is 

 generally fuilicier.t for an Eiigiilh acre, "^i'his is put in with tlie 

 hand, and afterwards forced down witii a fpade j but great care 

 fliould be taken, that none of the loole earth go into the drain 

 with it, otherwife the whole work will be, in a great meafure, 

 rendered ufelefs. 



In laying out thefe drains, It is bed that every one fiiould be 

 emptied feparately ; but where this cannot be accomplifhed, we 

 endeavour not to put more than two acres into one leading ditch, 

 which is generally about 2 inches deeper than the di ains, in order 

 that the water may go off' with greater facility. It fhould be no- 

 ticed, that the ends are filled up with a few 11 iff buJkes, over 

 v/hich 2 little flraw is laid, to prevent the earth gerting down. 

 The fubfoil is then turned in by a boy, and the remaining earth 

 by the plough. AVe pay from 3s. 6d.. to 5s. per feorc of rods 

 (5^ yards each) ; but the price is regulated by tlic fubfoil. If it 

 is loam, feldom more than 4s. is paid. 



Some 



* Should any of your readers u-ifh to trv the above mode of drain- 

 age, I beg leave to refer them to Mr Adam Bogue, Steventtone Mains, 

 pear Haddington, who pofTefFes a complete fet cf the tools luentioncd. 



