PLAIN, PRACTICABLE DIRECTIONS FOR DRAIN- 

 ING, S U R S O I L I N G , AND P R E P A RING AN A C R E O F 

 GROUND SUITABLE FOR A GARDEN OR A FRUIT- 

 TREE ORCHARD. 



BY WILLIAM REED, ELIZABETIITOWN, N. J. 



It may be considered presumptuous in rac to say anything about draining, wlicn 

 we have so many treatises by scientific men, avIio have given us a history of all 

 tlie newest improvements and various methods in practice at the present day. To 

 enter into a discussion on the various systems is not the object that I have in view, 

 but simply to give directions for performing the work efl'ectually. 



We will sujipose the ground to be drained, nearly level, or with a fall of two to 

 three feet to the 100, more or less ; the first thing to be done is to secure an out- 

 let, or main trunk drain, to carry the water out of the parallel drains, which ought 

 to be, if possible, not less than three feet, although two feet to thirty inches, if 

 no greater depth can be got, will answer when the ground is ascending, as the 

 depth will be gained after digging the parallel drains a short distance. It is some- 

 times necessary, to get an outlet to the trunk drains, to dig some distance to get 

 a fall to carry the water olf, but, without this, the whole labor would be lost. An 

 open ditch will answer for this purpose, or a tile drain, where there is much water 

 to carry off ; the tile ought not to be less than four inches diameter ; the £[, or 

 tube tile ; either will answer, but, for a soft, sandy ))ottom, the tube tile is pre- 

 ferable, on account of settling. After the trunk drain has been made, then measure 

 off the parallel drains to lead into the trunk drain, twenty-five to thirty feet distant 

 from each drain. These ought not to be less than thirty-three inches, but three 

 feet will be better where there is only surface water to be carried off; three feet 

 deep at this width will answer the purpose perfectly well, but, on hilly ground, 

 where there are springs flowing out on the surface, it will be necessary, sometimes, 

 to sink them deeper, to tap the vein of sand that the water flows from, and cany 

 it off below the surface. 



The usual way, and the quickest, is to stretch a line in the direction that the 

 drain is to be dug, and mark it with the spade, as a guide to dig by, on both sides ; 

 twenty inches or two feet wide, on the top, will answer for drains of this depth, 

 and let them draw in gradually, so that, when finished, they are wide enough to let 

 a spade or narrow shovel run in the bottom ; narrow spades are sometimes used 

 for the last spit, made expressly for this purpose, with a small scraper to take up 

 the bottom. A narrow No. 1 spade, with a long handle, I think is equally as 

 good, and leaves a smoother bottom for the tile. Where grounds are limited, 

 draining is always done with spades ; the two first spits being good, soil is put on one 

 side which will take out twentyinches to two feet ; if the shoveling has been taken 

 clean out after each spit, then the bottom, the poorest of the soil is laid on the 

 opposite side, to be first filled in on the tiles, leaving the best soil for the top. 

 The cost of digging will depend on the kind of soil ; if the bottom spit is hard, 

 so that the pick has to be used, it will make a material difference in the expense ; 

 fifty feet a day for a man, including laying tile and filling in the earth, will be as 

 much as he will be able to do, if the bottom proves hard ; but, where the digging 

 is easy, and the ground soft, he will accomplish seventy-five to one hundred feet, 

 hen the depth docs not exceed thirty-three inches to three feet ; it requires about 

 feet to drain an acre thoroughly, and the same number two-inch drawn tile ; 



