378 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



From the foregoing remarks it may be understood 

 that in draining springs the lines of main-drains must 

 pass through the true springs, above the point at which 

 they appear at the surface ; and that the outbursts of 

 temporary springs at a higher level must be brought 

 into the main-drains by secondary drains. The out- 

 burst of a temporary spring, proceeding from the leak- 

 age of a true spring, will always disappear when the 

 true spring has been efficiently drained. A single drain 

 judiciously laid will Irequently effectually drain several 

 swamps and wet places caused by one and the same true 

 spring, by relieving the pressure occasioning the out- 

 burst at the surface. 



The most obvious mode of effectually draining a 

 spring is to intersect the stratum in which it is con- 

 tained, to its full depth ; but it may, and frequently does 

 occur, that to come to a spring a great depth of expen- 

 sive excavation is required. This, in many cases, iu 

 which the water-containing stratum is known to rise, 

 may be avoided by laying the drain at a depth of a few 

 feet from the surface, and by sinking a well or pit, or by 

 making a large bore-hole at one side, to the water-con- 

 taining stratum, having the mouth above the level of the 

 druin, and filling such well or bore, and also the exca- 

 vation of the drain, to the depth of two feet, with small 

 land stones ; as in such case the pressure by gravitation 

 will force the water above the level of the drain, and 

 be thereby conveyed to an outfall in the nearest water- 

 course. This was an expedient frequently had recourse 

 to by Elkinaton and others, who practised the system 

 of draining just treated of. 



The only system or mode of draining remaining to be 

 treated of, is the FREauENT, thorough, furrow, or 

 PAKALLEL SYSTEM ; and, which is also called the 

 Deanston system, in reference to the late Mr. James 

 Smith, one of the proprietors and the engineer of the 

 Deanston Iron Works, near Glasgow, who is very gene- 

 rally considered to have been the inventor or originator 

 of the system of draining in question. Although the 

 system of draining now under consideration was, at an 

 early period of the present century, in a few instances 

 in use, yet it was not until about 1824 that Mr. Smith, 

 with great enthu'iitism, directed public attention to the 

 great benefits to be derived from the system in increas- 

 ing the fertility of the soil ; and without his advocacy 

 it might have continued for a length of time unacted 

 upon ; so that, although he may not have been in reality 

 the ori;iinal invent<ir of it, at any rate great merit is 

 due to him for enforcing its general adoption. 



It may here be remarked that the Elkington system 

 already described, and that of the Deanston, depend 

 almo-it upon diametrically opposite principles. In the 

 former, springs are supposed to be the sole cause of in- 

 jurious wetness in land ; whilst in the latter-mentioned, 

 the injury to the soil by wetness is considered to be 

 occasioned by rain-water being upheld on the surface 

 by an impervious subsoil. If, however, the subject be 

 duly coiifidered, it will be found that springs are less 

 frequently the cause of damage to the soil than surface- 

 wetness from rain — at least the former is not so exteu' 



the sole cause of injury, but that it may arise from either, 

 and from both. 



The errors hinted at have arisen, as ia many other im- 

 portant matters, from a blind enthusiasm of the origina- 

 tors and advocates of particular systems, which has 

 generally at length given way to a dispassionate investi- 

 gation of the principles on which they depend. In 

 further illustration of the marked difference in the 

 systems of Elkington and of Smith, it is only necessary 

 to point out, that in the former the drains are required 

 to be laid at a considerable depth, and are always car- 

 ried directly or nearly perpendicular to the direction of 

 the slope in rising ground ; whereas, in the latter-men- 

 tioned the drains are laid not more than two or two- 

 and-a-half feet below the surface, and they are gene- 

 rally, as they should always be, carried in the direction 

 of the slope. 



It will be understood from the foregoing remarks, 

 that both of the systems of draining adverted to are 

 partial in effect and limited in operation. Elkington's 

 does not, nor is it intended that it should, relieve the 

 soil from surface-wetness ; whilst the Deanston method 

 is equally ineffective in removing underground-water. 

 The inefficiency of the Doanston system has, in many 

 instances, caused it to be looked upon as a useless ex- 

 pense; yet, nevertheless, its introduction may justly be 

 considered valuable as the means of removing unhealthy 

 wetness off the soil, previously generally disregarded by 

 c'lltivators, and as leading to a modification of the system 

 by which much greater, and, it may be said almost uni- 

 versal, efficiency may be attained. 



To produce efficient drainage as a basis of improve- 

 meat of the fertility of the soil, both underground and 

 surface-water must be dealt with, and, when in redund- 

 ance, removed from the reach of the roots of plants, 

 and from contact with earth of an absorbing nature. 

 If the case of a somewhat flat surface of clay or peat, 

 even of many feet in depth, incumbent on wet sand, be 

 taken, it will be found that the water from that will be 

 continually rising to the surface through the superin- 

 cumbent earth, precisely as water ascends in a piece of 

 sugar or a sponge in contact with it ; and however fre- 

 quent shallow drains may be laid in soils under such 

 circumstances, they will have no effect whatever in pre- 

 venting wetness at the surface from the ascension of 

 water from below. The only benefit t ) be derived from 

 such a mode of draining is the removal, or rather the 

 interception of suddenly-thawing snow in winter, and 

 heavy rain-fall of thunder-showers in summer from the 

 surface, or prevent the passing of such water from the 

 surface to the water-containing bed of sand after super- 

 saturation of the surface soil. 



A much more efficient and more generally applicable 

 system of draining than had previously been practised 

 in modern times consists of a modification of the Dean- 

 ston method, introduced by Mr. Josiah Parkes, consult- 

 ing engineer of the Royal Agricultural Society of Eng- 

 land, about 18-16. The mode of draining as introduced 

 by Parkes is similar to the Deanston system, in the 

 drains being at frequent and regular intervals ; but the 



•irely so m the Ifttter^meationed ', ftud that aeither is 1 for mer*iaentioned differs from th6 Intter in the draini 



