Farming of Leicestershire. 307 



Royal Agricultural Society's Journal, Series 1, vol. xiv. page 96. 

 Divesting the subject of the scientific nomenclature in Avhich he 

 shrouds it, I purpose to give a brief description of the peculiar 

 arrangement of the surface-strata, — the system of drainage which 

 was devised, on the detection of this peculiarity, for its drainage 

 — its cost and results. 



The soil and subsoil of much of the Keythorpe Estate form a 

 species of natural ridge and furrow, or alternating banks of porous 

 and non-porous earth. These banks generally lie in the line 

 of steepest descent, viz., the direction usually chosen by modern 

 drainers (and no doubt wisely chosen where a uniform soil pre- 

 vails) in which to run their drains. 



As already noted. Lord Berners' first attempts at drainage 

 were made in accordance with this, and he put his drains in the 

 furrows (artificial) and in the line of steepest descent. The 

 result, however, was disappointment. Much money and labour 

 were spent, but the land was not efficiently drained. The reason 

 why mav be seen by referring to the accompanying sketch of a 

 section of the surface-formation, where 1 represents the surface- 



soil or drift, 2, the clay-banks, 3, the furrows of sand, gravel, 

 or other porous soils ; represents the pipes put in, say by a 

 modern drainer, with his pre-arranged ideas as to the depth and 

 distance necessary for such a soil, and running his drains straight 

 up the hill. 



As shown per sketch at 0, 0, he might possibly commence his 

 first drain in the impervious clay,* his second might also be there, 

 and, if his luck was good, he might hit a porous section with his 

 third, and so on, hit or miss, as chance befell ; and once in a 

 porous or non-porous strata, there he must remain, for they lie in 

 the line of the fall. 



In short, it will be seen that the common system of drainage 

 would be (and as Lord Berners proved it to be) on this peculiar 

 formation a failure. 



But mark how the Keythorpe system deals with it. The main 

 drain is cut across the lowest part of the field to be drained, and, 



* This clay is so -very impervious that a trial-hole in it did not yield ^vater to a 

 drain Lord Berners caused to be made within two feet of it. 



