of an Experiment on Draining of Land. 427 
to four feet; the breadth, twenty inches at the top and twelve 
inches at the bottom. The drains have a cavity at the bottom 
of six inches, being set with two side stones, and a cover, and 
then filled with stones to the top, the six inches next the top 
being filled with small stones, that in case the plough should 
strike into them, no injury is done to the drain. The drains 
are thus filled to within ten inches of the surface. It required 
a solid yard of stone to fill a rood of seven yards; in weight 
above two tons. 
To furnish such an enormous quantity of stones as eight hun- 
dred and fifty-nine roods required, was an undertaking of no 
small difficulty, and couldenot have been executed in the time, 
had not other substitutes been found. In coal countries there 
are strata known by the name of sill or schistus, and rattler, 
which is a mixture of coal and schistus. Sill is a substance that 
will not bear exposure to the atmosphere, but rattler does not 
fall, and is very light in comparison to its bulk. 
Recourse was had to these substances, and many hundred cart- 
loads of both were collected from the coal-banks, the remainder 
was gathered from the ground, and obtained from the quarries. 
8. d. 
The cutting, filling, and setting was’ 1 3 a rood 
Collecting stones, supposing two 
gathered toeach rood .. .. O 8 
Two carts from the quarries .. | 0 
ending ten ge yok Janek Kym ey Jal ggry 
Cutting the drains by the plough Oi 
7 U 
The distance the sill and rattler had to be led, so increased the 
cost of cartage, as to make their cost equal to that of stones. 
; ee Bae OF 
Cutting and filling 859 roods of 7 yards, at 1s.3d. 53 138 9 
3,436 cart-loads of stones for filling, at 10d. a cart 143 3 4 
Carting the'above, at 6d2.. 0... oN. oe BR 1S. 0 
Bemeyrat VA, Sis 12.8 alpina gonyrn qa mI 
29h ‘3 7 
Fifty acres of the field have been benefited by this drainage. 
The general quality of land deciding the value at which it would 
be estimated to let, it was considered as worth 40 shillings an 
acre; from its locality, | conceive 1 am within bounds, when I 
rate it as worth from 50 to 55 shillings. » The expenditure of 
two hundred and ninety-seven pounds, has added sixty pounds 
to the value of the field, which is obtained at five years purchase, 
or a little less for interest. It is to be observed, the horse-work 
is valued as if it had been hired; the real cost of that part, done 
at such a season, is not, to a farmer, one-half. “My object was 
3 Tl 2 to 
