114 Agriculture of Dnrlicim. 



Draining. — I have already mentioned incidentally, whilst con- 

 sidering other things, that there was a sad want of draining in 

 this county. It must not be supposed, however, that no efforts 

 have been made to alleviate this evil ; on the contrary, a great 

 deal has been done, but the misfortune was so much was required 

 to be done that it will be some time before our efforts will take 

 effect upon the general character of the county. There is some- 

 thing in the peculiar formation of the strata of this county which 

 seems to have a tendency to make it more wet than others. Mr. 

 Granger, an eminent agriculturist in his day, published a report 

 on Durham some years before Mr. Bailey's, and in his report he 

 has a map of the county coloured according to the stratification, 

 and 1 see he calls the strata of almost the whole county " icater- 

 shaken" doubtless from the peculiarly l)roken up nature of it, 

 and from its being filled with water. Where the coal has been 

 wrought near to the surface, and the water coming into the 

 colliery through the fissures in the strata has been pumped up 

 and conveyed away, then the district around is no worse than 

 others ; but if the coal has not been wrought or having been 

 wrought if the colliery has ceased, and the old w:orkings are filled 

 up with water which bars no sufficient outlet, then, in either case, 

 the water must find its way to the surface. There is a great \a,- 

 riety of modes of draining practised in Durham : the tiles and 

 pipes are generally used, but they are laid at almost all depths 

 and distances apart. A very experienced man who has been a 

 drainer upwards of thirty years recommends 30 inches deep and 

 18 feet apart, with 36 inches deep for the main drains. These 

 dimensions are, perhaps, most in use in this county. On the 

 estates of Lord Dui'ham 14,000/. have been expended in drainage 

 by the landlord, for which the tenants are charged at the rate of 

 5 per cent. ; besides which, the tenants themselves have occa- 

 sionally done something. A farmer, who occupies land belong- 

 ing to his lordship, stated not long ago in a public meeting, that 

 he had drained land himself at an expense of from 10/. to 11/. 

 per acre. Another tenant stated at the same meeting that for 

 some years he laid out from 100/. to 150/. a-year in draining. 

 Lord Durham finding only the tiles ; he thought, however, that 

 two crops paid him back all his money. On the estates of the 

 late Sir Thomas John Clavering, also, a large amount of draining 

 has been executed. Within a short time above 1000/. were ex- 

 pended : he also charged the tenants 5 per cent. On the estates 

 of most of the other large land-owners large sums have been 

 expended, but on none of them, perhaps, has there been a more 

 liberal expenditure in draining and improvements generally than 

 on the estates of John Bowes, Esq. ; and I think it only an act 

 of justice to make known his liberality, .both as an example to 



