124 AGRICULTURE. 



sider the expenditure on this land to have paid about 10 

 per cent. At the end of a dry fortnight in March we sunk 

 a trial-hole, 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 5 feet deep, in 

 the direction of the drains, and at the intermediate point 

 between two. The water in the hole stood at 4 feet 

 8 inches from the surface, or 3 inches above the bottom of 

 the drains. During a fortnight which passed without 

 material rain, the level of this water-table was not percep- 

 tibly varied. A pash of rain then raised it about six inches, 

 but four dry days reduced it to its previous level. Every 

 face of the trial-hole was a net-work of cracks. We con- 

 sider this draining to have done its work effectually ; and 

 we had the pleasure o/ showing this trial-hole to two con- 

 siderable land-agents, who had previously doubted the effi- 

 ciency of 4-feet draining in very retentive land. Early in 

 the autumn of 1849 we drained land very similar to that 

 just mentioned, and similarly in all respects, save that the 

 drains were 12 yards apart. Simultaneously with the 

 trial-hole above mentioned, we sank three of the same depth, 

 dimensions, and direction, at points, 4, 5, and 6 yards 

 respectively from one of these more recent drains. The 

 water stood in these holes at 2 feet 2 inches and 2 feet 

 3 inches from the surface, and during the dry fortnight 

 sunk from 1 inch, decreasing regularly, to half inch per 

 day. The pash of rain above mentioned raised this water 

 to within 1 5 inches of the surface. It then subsided in a 

 ratio diminishing from 1 inch to half inch per day, till, 

 by the crumbling of the sides, and consequent puddling of 

 the bottom, these holes lost their experimental character. 

 This trial confirmed our previous experience, by showing 

 that retentive land deep drained does not effectually part 

 with its water, till a considerable period of drought, heat, 

 and perhaps vegetation, bas passed over it. Our third in- 

 vestigation was on land of nearly the same character and 

 slope as those which we have named, differing, however, in 

 that it was overhung by a hill rising at 5 or 6 inches in 

 the yard to the height of 50 feet, the rise terminating in a 



