133 



T>1E FARMER'S, MONTHLY VISITOR. 



so many do, cannot be- too strongly impressed up- 

 on the attention of tlie' drainer. Every drain, iiow- 

 ever rudely devised, and imperfi^ctly executed, 

 may do some good. But one drain well laid out, 

 and of tlie requisite dimensions, may perform a 

 purpose which no multiplication of minor and in- 

 suliicient drains can effect. These may lessen the 

 effects of wetness, but the otlier is designed to re- 

 move ttie cause of it ; and the more perfect practice 

 will usually be found in the end to be the most eco- 

 nomical as well as tlie most efficient. 



The drains of Ihe larger class described, it will 

 be seen, are intended for the removal of water 

 which is contained in reservoirs and channels be- 

 low the surface. 



But frequently the water to be intercepted is ve- 

 ry near tlie surface, as between the soil and sub- 

 soil, or the svib-soil is so homogeneous to a great 

 d?pth, that no jiervious strata can be readily reach- 

 ed. In such cases, the drains may be of smaller 

 dimensions, and increased in number, so as to af- 

 ford many outlets to the water witli whicli the soil 

 and sub-soil are charged. 



A system of draining, having relation to this 

 condition of tile soil arid sub-soil, has been termed 

 ihe Esse.x system, from its having been extensive- 

 ly practised in that flat and clayey district, and it 

 i-i now very generally termed furrow draining. — 

 'i'he system consists in forming a series of small 

 drains parallel to one another, in the open furrows 

 1 i-( 'een the ridges. In this species of draining, 

 !.:• .lesign is not to reach the water as it percolates 

 in pervious channels beneath the surface, but to 

 afford numerous outlets to the water which the soil 

 and sub-soil retain. The system is for the most 

 part greatly more expensive than the other : yet as 

 it is efficient, is easily practised, and produces an 

 immediate effect in drying the ground, it is often 

 preferred even where the purpose might be other- 

 wise effected. It may often, however, be combin- 

 ed with the sj'stem of deeper drains ; the latter be- 

 ing employed to intercept the spring and larger 

 body of water, and the former to give an increased 

 degree of dryness to the surface. 



The materials that may be employed in this spe- 

 cies of draining are tiles or stones, the latter 

 being broken to the size of small road metal. Of 

 these materials, tiles are held to be the most con- 

 venient and economical, from their requirmg a 

 smaller trench, and from their being more easily 

 carried, and more readily taken up and replaced 

 when injured. They are formed into an arch of a 

 semi-elliptical form, and they are made to rest on 

 flat soles in the manner shown in the fiorure 3'J. 

 The size of the arch varies with circumstances : 

 the usual size is from three to four inches wide 

 within, and from four to five inches high, and the 

 length of each tUe is about fourteen inclies. The 

 soles are fiat, or slightly curved, and made to pro- 

 ject about a quarter of an inch on each side of the 

 tiles. These are the usual dimensions for the smal- 

 ler parallel drains ; but, where main drains are 

 formed to receive the water from the smaller drains, 

 the size of the tiles is increased to seven or eigiit 

 inches wide within, with a corresponding height. 



The principle adopted in laying out this class of 

 drains, is to form one or more main or receiving 

 drains across the ground to be drained, and to con- 

 duct into these the minor drains which follow to 

 the course of the ridges. The receiving drains are 

 formed ofgreater size, by employing the larger form 

 of tiles, or by placing two tiles side b^- side, and 

 sometimes witli their edges together, so as to com- 

 bine the two arches into one tube ; and sometimes 

 three or four tiles are empleyed variously arrang- 

 ed. .The minor drains lead to these receivintr ones, 

 and the water is permitted to enter by chopping off 

 corners of the larger tiles, at the places where the 

 tiles of the smaller drains terminate. It is better, 

 however, that sets of the tiles be prepared at the 

 tile works, in which ease the apertures can be 

 made either tlirough ihe sides of the tiles, or at the 

 corners. 



The depth of the drains sliould be sufficient to 

 place the tiles completely beyond the reach of in- 

 jury from the deepest ploughing. A medium depth 

 of the smaller drains is from eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches. They are formed by first taking up a 

 spit with the common spade, and then employing 

 the narrower spade, shown in figure 40, so as to 

 form the trench with a slope to the bottom, where 

 the width should be just sulficient to receive the 

 soles of the tiles; and in order to clear out any 

 mud or loose earth in the trench, there is employ- 

 ed the spec.es of shovel. Fig. 4IJ. Sometimes in 

 order to save some expense in digninir the earth 

 at the surface is first reuiov^-d by tlie pl'^uitrh which 

 passes along without the mould-boatd, and then 

 returns by the same track, with the mould-board 

 attached, so aa to pusli the earth to a side and form 



M 

 C 



a lurrow. In proportion as the trenches are formed 

 by one set of workmen, the tiles are laid by anoth- 

 er. The workman in laying the tiles works back- 

 wards, the tiles having been previously laid along 

 the line of the drains, and there is usually an as- 

 sistant to hand them to the person in the trench. 

 This part of the operation must be performed with 

 care, so that the soles shall be placed firmly and 

 evenly on their other bed ; and so that the acclivity 

 shall always be sutScient to cause the water to run. 

 The earth is shovelled back upon the tiles, and 

 care should always be taken that the looser soil of 

 the surface be laid next to the tiles, so that the 

 space above them may be rendered as pervious as 

 possible to water. When there is any sod upon 

 the surface at the time of draining, this should be 

 laid aside, and placed upon the tiles with the gras- 

 sy side below, and then the looser soil next the sur- 

 face is to be shovelled in, and lastly the more te- 

 nacious sub-soil. And it is even an improvement 

 in this kind of drains to lay over the tiles some 

 gravel, sand, peat, or other pervious matter, before 

 replacing the earth. This species of draining is of 

 admirable use in drying the soil, by affording out- 

 lets to the water witli which it may" be charged, but 

 care should be taken not to apply the principle to 

 cases to which it is unsuited. It is plain that the 

 method is not well adapted to the removal of springs 

 and swamps produced by water beneath the sur- 

 face. It may indeed keep the stratum of soil com- 

 paratively dry, even when the wetness is produced 

 by the rising of water from beneath, but then it is 

 a very inartificial method of producing the effect, 

 since the water may be far more efiectually remov- 

 ed by intercepting it by a drain along the line of 

 the descent, in the manner before explained. 



This kind of draining is mainly to be recom- 

 mended for its efficacy, and for its speedy action in 

 rendering the soil dry. When the tiles are good 

 and laid with care, these drains will last for along 

 period. When choked at any particular part ; they 

 can be easily taken up at that part, and the tiles re- 

 placed, or new ones substituted. 



Thorns, brushwood, and branches, are frequent- 

 ly employed in the filling of drains. They serve 

 the purpose of afi'ording a more pervious channel 

 to water, but they soon decay, and the drains are 

 very apt to be choked. Sometimes, indeei, the 

 channels formed by the water remain, when there 

 IS a considerable current, long after these materials 

 have decayed. But this cannot be depended upon, 

 and such materials, therefore, ought not to be used 

 if better can be obtained. 



Sometimes a species of draining, termed Wedge- 

 draining, has been employed. The general meth- 

 od of performing this is'to form a narrow trench 

 with a long narrow shovel. The spit being taken 

 out as deep as the shovel can go, a scoop is em- 

 ployed to clear out the mud and loose eartli at the 

 bottom. Then another spade narrower than the 

 first is used, and a second spit taken out, and last- 

 ly a corresponding shovel stiH to clear the whole 

 oe.t, forming a trench with a ledge as in Fig. 41. 



[Fig. 41.] 



ledge is dispensed with, and the sod is merely 

 formed into a wedge, n;irrowed towards the grassy 

 side, and this, when the little trench is cleared out, 

 is pressed into it and covered with earth ; and as it 

 does not reach the narrow bottom, a channel re- 

 mains below, through which the water percolates. 

 This simple species of drain ha.s been extensive- 

 ly adopted in some districts; and as it is easily 

 formed, and as the number of drains may be mul- 

 tiplied at little expense, considerable benefit has 

 resulted from the use of it. But although drains 

 of this kind will sometimes remain open tor a con- 

 siderable time, they are exceedingly apt to be clos- 

 ed up; on which account, the use of the tile is in 

 most cases to he preferred. 



grass side below, is 



"AGIIICULTUR.VL SURVEY." 

 Region of the White IHountains. 



July liith, in continuation. We left our read- 

 ers in the last Visitor with the recital of the trage- 

 dy of the Wllley family : the scene of this unliap- 

 py event is laid three miles within the notch of the 

 White Mountains. From the WiUey house the pas- 

 sage through the mountain grows more and more 

 narrow until, near the point where tlie open coun- 

 try commences, the space for the passage of the 

 Saco river and the road occupies a distance across 

 of scarcely thirty feet. Between the Willey liouse 

 and the opening a stream sulficient to carry a mill 

 in the dry season comes tumbling down from the 

 east side of the mountain in a cascade of many 

 hundred feet: on the rocks near tlie road this 

 mountain stream is descried for a considerable dis- 

 tance in line almost directly over head. 



Emerging from the gorge, you soon come to that 

 high part of the amphitheatre at the base of the 

 magnificent mountains from which, collected from 

 the different points, the waters of the Saco and 

 Amonoosuck flow in different courses. Fifteen 

 years ago, we came down from the mountains in 

 this direction, and the camp prepared for our 

 night's lodgement was floored with evergreens di- 

 rectly over the rocks through which the head wa- 

 ters of Ihe Saco penetrated. A meadow of some 

 two or three acres below tlie camp and just with- 

 out the mouth of the Notch had been cleared, on" 

 which a small crop of wild grass was growing. As 

 for the rest, besides the path of the road, all was a 

 thick forest of hemlock, maple, birch, larch, &c. 

 Mr. Rosbrook, who with his sons accompanied us 

 on our expedition, had his location down the Am- 

 onoosuck distant about ten miles, and was then 

 one of the only two families resident within the 

 limits of the present town of Carrol. He had been 

 brought up on the farm since known as the resi- 

 dence of Ethan Allen Crawford, whose mother 

 was his sister. Young Crawford had cut a foot 

 path directly through to Mount Washington, at 

 the foot of which he had erected a coniTbrtable 

 camp. Situated nearer than Rosbrook and in pos- 

 session of these facilities, he had greatly the ad- 

 vantage of his uncle in pursuing the lucrative bus- 

 iness of accompanying and piloting strangers to 

 the mountains. When he saw us on our way with 

 Rosbrook, he at once forbid us passing over his 

 path or occupying his camp. It was then tliat we dis- 

 covered the feud among the mountaineers of the 

 same "kith and kin," as a great statesman 

 would call them. Professor Dana, who had been 

 there before, and who espoused the cause of Ros- 

 brook, having led us out of the way six miles at 

 midnight ratlier than patronize the enemy of his 

 friend, avoided Crawford's path as far as he could, 

 and would not enter his camp at all; with Ros- 

 brook he camped for the night half a mile u^ the 

 mountain. Professor Oliver and ourselves, not 

 being parties to the quarrel, took quiet possession 

 of the camp for the night, determined to oft'er pay- 

 ment in full for the use of that and of the travelled 

 path. 



The travel of twenty-eight hours, first directly 

 over the Crawford palli (now made for the dis- 

 tance of about six miles so as to be passed on horse- 

 back,) thence up that spur of Mount Washington 

 nearest to the gorge through which flows the wa- 

 ters I'roni the pond,one thousand feet below the high- 

 est point of the most elevated mountain, and above 

 the region of vegetation, being a valley which dis- 

 tinguishes that mountain ironi the nearest emi- 

 nence at th.e south-east ; thence down the moun- 

 tain to the pond, and up and down the fonr sue 

 cessive mountains to the base of Mount Pleasant 

 at the Notch— was equal to a journey on foot of at 

 least sixty miles upon a plain path or road. In 

 feeble health at that time, and less used to travel 

 on foot than we now are,— having walked more 

 within the last ten years than we did the previous 

 first forty years of our time ; lame from infancv and 



A piece of sod, with 

 then torced down, and resting upon the ledge, a I never w'alking entirely free from pain ; this mide 

 space IS lelt for the water below. Soraetunes the | taking upon the mountains seemed to be almost 



