1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



523 



the upper side of the field, or bursting from under 

 the clay in any part of it, will How thronirh the 

 loose soil in every direction, and will keep it in a 

 constant slate of wetness. Cutting oif these 

 springs, therefore, in tiie first instance, may effect 

 the cure, and is always on that account to be first 

 attended to. But liie wetness in these soils, pro- 

 ceeds more ln>m the absorption of rain water, than 

 from that of springs ; and therelore surface drain- 

 ing applies to them with more propriety. As the 

 water, alter it has saturated these soils, will read- 

 ily flow to any drain that may he made in them, a 

 cut in the middle, if the field is flat, will answer 

 the purpose ; or, if it has a descent to one side, a 

 dram at the lower end may draw oti' the injurious 

 water. This drain may, without inconvenience, 

 be lelt open ; but as the looseness of the soil is apt 

 to crumble down and fill ii, it will require to be 

 Irequenily looked at, and cleared out when neces- 

 sary. The interior drains that may be wanted, 

 should all be covered in the usual manner; and as 

 they are liable to choke in a sandy soil, their out- 

 lets will re(]uire to be frequently examined. 



SECTION. VI. 



On the draining of mixed soils, or those composed 

 of alternate beds of clay and sand, Sfc. 



Besides the soils that have been mentioned, 

 there are others of an intermixed variety, and 

 where the changes of clay and sand, or of ihose 



strata that are porous, and those that are not so, 

 take place within the limits of the same field. 

 Draining, in these cases, is aitendeil with more 

 dillicully and expense, than where the surliice and 

 internal strata are more regularly disposed. In 

 these kinds of soil, where every reservoir of water 

 is unconnected with another, (being separated by 

 intervening beds of clay,) the partial collections of 

 water ihey contain are so augmented in ti)ue of 

 rains, that being full to the level of the surrouTid- 

 ing clay, the water so overflows, as to render it 

 wet, sour, and unproductive. As these sand beda 

 have no coinmunicaiion with one another, it re- 

 quires as many drains as they are in number, to 

 extract the water from each of them. From the 

 nearest and lowest [>art of the field to be drained, 

 a trench is cut, up to the highest and most distant 

 sand bank, in such direction as to hit on some of 

 the intermediate sand beds, which saves making 

 a side-cut that might otherwise be necessary. 

 But, where this would give many awkward wind- 

 ings to the main drain, and would consequently 

 lengthen it, and where crossing the beds of sand, 

 that are higher than the surface of the surround- 

 ing clay, would considerably increase the depth, 

 and, if rock, or runninir sand, would add to the dif- 

 ficulty and expense of working it; in such cases, 

 drains in form of the letter Y must branch off to 

 these beds, to draw out the water they contain, 

 and convey it to the leadina one, as represented in 

 plate No. II. Although ihe sand beds throw out 



Draining of mixed soils. 



Plate II. 

 D D Dry ground. 

 A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, Porous 



rocli or sand. 

 « s s s Various springs. 

 C C C C C Clay soil, wet and rusliy 

 d d d Leading drain and brancties. 

 o Outlet iuto brook or ditcli. 



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the water on all sides, so as to wet the clay that 

 surrounds them, a drain on one side will take the 

 water from the whole, if that, where it is cut, be 

 the lowest. But, it must be observed, that unless 



the drain is so cut, it cannot have that effect, while 

 the water on the oposite side of the bank can find 

 an outlet lower than the drain. It is of conse- 

 quence, therefore, to consider this by previous ex- 



