128 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



tunity to take in all circumstances. . . . And for thy drayning trench, it must be made so 

 deepe that it goe to the bottome of the cold, spewing moyst water, that feeds the flagg and the 

 rush; for the widenesse of it, use thine owne liberty, but be sure to make it so wide as thou 

 mayest goe to the bottom of it, which must be so low as any moysture lyeth which moysture 

 usually lyeth under the over and second swarth of the earth, in some gravel or sand, or else, 

 where some greater stones are mixt with clay, under which thou must goe halfe one spades 

 graft deepe at least; yea, suppose this corruption that feeds and nourisheth the rush or flagg 

 should lie a yard or foure foot deepe, to the bottome of it thou must goe, if thou wilt drayne 

 it to purpose. . . . And for the dreyning trench be sure thou endeavour to carry it as 

 neare upon a straight line as possible 



&quot; To the bottome where the spewing spring lyeth thou must goe, and one spades depth or 

 graft beneath, how deep so ever it be, if thou wilt drayne thy land to purpose. 1 am forced 

 to use repetitions of some things, because of the quitableness of the things to which they are 

 applyed; as also because of the slownesse of people s apprehensions of them, as appears by 

 the non-practice of them, the which whenever you see drayning and trenching you shall rarely 

 find few or none of them wrought to the bottome 



&quot; Go to the bottome of the bogg, and there make a trench in the sound ground, or else in 

 some old ditch, so low as thou verily conceivest thy selfe assuredly under the level of the 

 spring or spewing water, and then carry up thy trench into thy bogg straight through the 



middle of it, one foot under that spring; but for these common and many 



trenches, oft times crooked too, that men usually make in their boggy grounds, some one 

 foot, some two, never having respect to the cause or matter that maketh the bogg to take 

 that way, I say away with them as a great piece of folly, lost labour and spoyle. . ... 

 After thou hast brought a trench to the bottome of the bogg, then cut a good substantial 

 trench about thy bogg; and when thou hast so done make one work or two just over-thwart 

 it, upwards and downwards all under the matter of the bogg. Then thou must take good 

 green faggots, willow, alder, elme or thorne, and lay in the bottome of thy works, and then 

 take thy turfe thou tookest up in the top of thy trench, and plant upon them with the green 

 sward downwards; or take great pebbles, stones, or flint stones, and so fill up the bottome of thy 

 trench about fifteen inches high, and take thy turfe and plant it as aforesaid, being cut very fit 

 for the trench, as it may join close as it is layed downe, and then having covered it all over 

 with earth, and made it even as thy other ground, waite and expect a wonderful effect through 

 the blessing of God.&quot; The instructions of Blithe do not seem to have been extensively heeded 

 by his contemporaries, though they probably were to a certain extent. Since that time, 

 various systems have been practiced in Great Britain and other portions of Europe, the moist 



climate of the former rendering drainage more essential to successful agriculture than in some 



other countries. In our own country, the general adoption of a complete system of drainage 

 is comparatively of recent date, but enough has been accomplished in this direction to prove 

 its great value to the agricultural interests of every section, and the time is not far distant 

 -when it will doubtless be practiced on a larger and more extensive scale, and many of the 

 vast tracts, now utterly worthless, will be converted into some of the most fertile and valuable 

 of its agricultural lands, besides rendering such localities more healthful. 



What Lands Require Draining. All lands containing an excess of water are 

 greatly benefited by draining, and these are usually heavy, tenacious clays, those soils having 

 a hard clayey subsoil that will not admit of the water passing through them, and peaty or 

 swampy lands. A large proportion of the lands in cultivation are sufficiently drained by 

 nature. No land with a subsoil so porous as never to retain a surplus of water requires an 

 extensive drainage. Sometimes a farm that requires no thorough draining may be benefited 

 by a partial one; for instance, many farms contain small swamps or swales, so located in a 

 field as to greatly hinder cultivation, and retard the growth of crops: these have probably 

 been formed by the water that has passed through the porous soil, meeting with an obstruction 



