THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 319 



on one side, and a flat one on the other side. Allow nothing to 

 be done in a superficial, perfunctory manner. Keep sods, and 

 mellow earth, and straw, and all such substances out of a drain 

 until after several inches in depth of hard earth have been placed 

 on the stone or tile. Never allow a stream of water to flow on 

 the surface of the ground directly over a drain, because if it is a 

 stone drain, the water will most certainly find a hole downwards 

 into the calibre, and wash in dirt, and thus obstruct the water 

 passage. In places where water is apt to flow on the surface in 

 times of high water, have a furrow on one side of the drain for the 

 flood water to flow in, and have the earth raised over the drain 

 a few inches above the common level. If a drain is filled with 

 tile that are not open on the bottom, if a stream flows along the 

 surface directly over the drain, there is" no danger that it will 

 injure a drain. Always keep a vigilant eye on drains; and, 

 above all, keep the outlets clear. If a main drain prove to be 

 too small to carry all the water, let another one be made a short 

 distance from it. Never allow the water flowing from a stoned 

 drain to flow into small tile, lest some obstruction lodge in the 

 tile. Where a part of a drain is filled with tile, and a part with 

 stone, if the calibre of the tile is less than four inches in diameter, 

 always put the tile at the upper end of the drain. I have seen 

 drains filled with tile, and then a row of flat stones laid on each side 

 of the tile, from the top of the tile to the bottom of the drain, form 

 ing a water passage on both sides of the tile. This practice is 

 very objectionable, because the water is very liable to undermine 

 and displace the tile. We usually reap our best and most abun 

 dant crops directly over good drains. In wet seasons, vegetation 

 suffers far less from too much moisture directly over good drains; 

 and in dry seasons, when crops are suffering extremely for want 

 of moisture, vegetation will suffer much less directly over a good 

 drain, than it will for a rod on either side of it. Let very dry 

 knolls be well drained with drains five or six feet apart, and they 

 will retain more moisture than they did before they were drained. 

 Truly, the entire surface of the earth which is devoted to agricul 

 tural purposes, needs to be underdrained. 

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