306 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



a stone drain beneath a stone wall, which runs up and down a 

 steep slope, or beneath a hedge row. (See Par. 195 and 261.) 

 In such localities, a farmer does not feel willing to purchase tile 

 for that purpose when suitable stones are very abundant. Now, 

 in order to form a throat with stone in such a drain, which will 

 be as permanent as the hills, let the bottom of the ditch be fin 

 ished in a triangular form, as represented by Fig. 138, which 

 represents the manner of forming a throat with thin flat stones. 

 In order to perform the job in a workmanlike manner, the work 

 man should have a light stone-hammer for dressing off the edges, 

 FIG. 138. i n order to make them fit well. Should the 

 stream be a small one, and the stones small, the 

 throat may be made small. But should the 

 stone average in size about one foot wide, the 

 channel should be dug about one foot deep, and 

 two inches wide in the bottom, and eight or nine 

 inches at the top. When flat stones are scarce 

 and rather small, it would be best to place a 



MANNER OF STONING A . 



DITCH WITH THIN FLAT row of them lying flat in the bottom of the 



STONES ON A SIDE HILL _ 



OR THROUGH QUICK- ditch ; and then form a throat with bowlders for 

 the side stones, and for covering stones. This 

 manner of forming a throat with the bottom flagged with flat 

 stones, would be worthy of adoption where the subsoil is so soft 

 that a drain is liable to sink in it. 



FILLING IN THE EARTH. 



423. Every writer on underdraining, whose writings have come 

 under my observation, has recommended placing sods directly on 

 tile or stone when filling in the dirt. My experience in under- 

 draining teaches me that this practice is by no means a good 

 one ; and I am confident that every intelligent farmer, who will 

 or who has given the subject a proper investigation, will coincide 

 with me. When sods are placed over stone or over the joints of 

 tile in an inverted position, they will exclude most effectually the 

 loose dirt from the joints of the tile and from the interstices be 

 tween the stones. But it must be remembered, that sods in such 



