SUBSOIL-PLOUGHING CONNECTED WITH THOROUGH-DRAINING. 125 



necessity using them here, as I have been long satisfied that 

 tiles or pipes are preferable. It was only the difficulty of obtain 

 ing tiles in time at a reasonable price, which prevented them 

 being used in all cases. I may also observe, that 1 have in 

 many instances put stones over tiles, but now believe that even 

 in the stiffest clay this is unnecessary, the drains which have 

 been made with tiles alone being equally efficacious. The tiles, 

 where stones are not put over them, are less liable to be injured 

 or broken, and of course calculated to be more permanent an 

 object which, in such an important improvement, should never 

 be lost sight of.&quot; 



CII. SUBSOIL-PLOUGHING CONNECTED WITH 

 THOROUGH-DRAINING. 



I have given these general examples of thorough-draining, 

 which might be multiplied, under my own observation, to a very 

 great extent, and have to add that this improvement is prepara 

 tory to subsoil-ploughing, and intimately connected with it. 



I have already fully described the nature of subsoil- ploughing. 

 Trench-ploughing is sometimes mentioned. By trench-plough 

 ing, the under soil is brought to the surface, and, in fact, it is no 

 other than deep ploughing, and is created by passing a second 

 time in the ploughed furrow. In subsoiling, the lower stratum 

 is stirred and broken, but not inverted. 



Subsoil-ploughing is never to be recommended without first 

 draining, unless in cases where the lower soil is extremely loose 

 and porous, so that the water can pass immediately off. The 

 late Mr. Rham, a distinguished farmer, attempted this upon an 

 adhesive soil, but found that, to use his own expression, it held 

 water as a sponge, and became quite unmanageable, until he pro 

 ceeded completely to thorough-drain it with tiles. &quot; Until there is 

 an escape for the water through the subsoil, any opening of it but 

 provides a greater space for holding water, and will rather tend 

 to injure than improve the soil. 7 

 11* 



