134 EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



this may be guarded against by laying three feet of the ends of 

 the drains with broken stones, through which the water would 

 find its way. The pipes or tiles laid three feet, or even two feet, 

 below the surface, would not be affected by the frost. 



The next objection is in the difficulty of finding suitable per 

 sons to execute the work. An extensive system of draining, to 

 be well executed, and unless it can be well executed, it is better 

 that it should not be attempted at all, requires, in the laying out 

 of the work, skill, and science, and experience ; and as yet, a 

 class of skilful, scientific, and experienced drainers can scarcely 

 be said to exist among us. Time and demand, as in all other 

 cases, may, however, soon produce them. The laborers, to exe 

 cute the work, likewise, are not so readily found. No native 

 American laborer, among the thousands whom I have known or 

 employed, would have had patience, application, perseverance, and 

 constancy sufficient to execute drains after the perfect and scrupu 

 lously exact manner in which they are made in England. Our 

 habits of haste, our anxiety to arrive at our object by the shortest 

 possible way, for a genuine Yankee may always be known by 

 his crossing a street, in spite of mud or dirt, diagonally, rather than 

 going to the corner and crossing at right angles on the regular 

 flagging, our habitual conceit of our superior judgment, corre 

 sponding, in general, in a direct ratio with the ignorance of the 

 party, which disdains to be directed or taught, are all national 

 peculiarities, which operate against any minute, precise, and 

 exact labor. There would be no difficulty, at any time, such 

 are the accustomed habits of the division of labor, in finding any 

 numbers of Englishmen, ten of whom are content to be employed 

 during the whole of their lives in the formation of one pin at a 

 time ; but a Yankee would at once undertake to do the whole 

 himself with what advantage, as it respects the perfect execu 

 tion of the article itself, I must leave others to judge. In many 

 cases, however, we may take advantage of the labors and expe 

 rience of those emigrant laborers who are planting themselves in 

 vast numbers in a country affording singular advantages to a 

 poor man, who is at the same time frugal, temperate, and indus 

 trious. Unless the work can be executed in the most careful, 

 thorough, exact, and skilful manner, I strongly advise if I may 

 be allowed, with all possible respect and good-will, to give my 

 advice that it should not be undertaken. The half execution, 



