1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



r,27 



may he preferable to make them anew; but ifl example and spirited exertions, introduce the prac- 

 hed"'es or lenccs are already planted alonjr their lice ot drainin<r, in all Us brunches, into tiiat 



liiie^they may not be so easily altered. In that 

 case, auxiliary cuts may be necessary, and il' the 

 inciosures are larije, these cuts may remain open, 

 as lesser sulidivisi )ns of the field. Where it may 

 be necessary to deepen the ulii, and open these 

 new cuts that are not to be lenccs, the earth 

 thrown out should be all removed, and spread in 

 the lowest part of the field ; lor ii'Ieft on the sides, 

 it occupies trround unnecessarily, prevents the free 

 admission ot" surliice water, and presses down the 

 sides of the ditch or drain. If the water, which 

 it is the intention of tliese drainis to carry off, 

 should proceed from springs, and their depth on 

 that account requires to be the greater, there may 

 be some risk of their fi\lling in ; but to lessen the 

 depth, pits may be sunk, or the auger may be ap- 

 plied, successfully. There is no dangi^r of the 

 holes filling up in these open drains, provided no 

 great quantity ot flood, or of surface water, is ad- 

 mitted into them ; for such is often the force of the 

 spring, that it will throw up any sand or sludge, 

 that may get into them ; but the better to secure 

 them against any obstruction that might ensue, 

 small openings may be made along the upper side 

 of the drain, at the height of six inches above its 

 bottom, and in these the perforations may be made, 

 and covered over with a flat stone at top. This 



country, on a very extended and lilieral sc;ile.* 



At Grlaminis in Angus, and at Blair-Aciam. in 

 the county of Kinross, where the plantations are 

 on a very extensive scale, draining has been parti- 

 cularly attendetl to, which marks the proixress of 

 the late planted wood, in a very remarkable de- 

 gree. In young |)lantations, open drains are the 

 only kind applical»ie; as the roots of the trees get- 

 ting among the stones, and leaves ch(jking their 

 outlet, would soon render covered drains of very 

 little use. In lawns, and among thin grown-up 

 wood, covered drains itiay be more prof)er lor cut- 

 ting and carrying oH' sprinirs, where tliey are not 

 so liable to any delect, fi'om the interruption of 

 roots and leaves, and as they do not present so 

 disagreeable an object to the eye, as open drains. 

 It is unnecessary to give minute directions for 

 the depth and width of open drains, as these must 

 depend on the nauire of the soil, and situation 

 where the drains are to be made; but one general' 

 rule ought always to be attended to, that the width' 

 at top should be //tree times as much as that 

 which is necessary at the bottom; lor the width at 

 bottom is always according to the quantity of wa- 

 ter the drain has to convey. This width at top' 

 is requisite, to give a sufTicient slope and sta- 

 bility to the sides, to prevent their tailing in ;. 



will eflectually guard them against any injury that I and the fail or declivity should always be such,. 



might arise from the influx of surface water, or 

 from the falling down of any substance from above. 

 Passages, by means of small bridges of wood or 

 stone, should be made at convenient places where 

 cattle may pass, as nothing is so detrimental to 

 open drains, as cattle passing over and breaking 

 down the sides; and where very deep, it may be 

 dangerous to the cattle themselves. This precau- 

 tion, therefore, cannot be too much attended to, in 

 all pastures that are intersected by these drains. 



The proper management of woods and planta- 

 tions, is a matterof general importance. Draining 

 is an improvement of essential consequence to 

 them, as well as to land in cultivation or in grass. 

 It is often, however, so little attended to, that 

 ground considered so wet as not to pay for the 

 expense of draining, is covered with trees to pre- 

 vent its being a disagreeable object in its particu- 

 lar situation. The result of this is what might 

 be expected ; the trees never come to perfection, 

 and, in fact, give a more steril and unpleasant as- 

 pect to the surrrounding grounds, than the surface 

 of that part of it did, before being planted. In 

 short, wet ground that is intended for planting, re- 

 quires as much to be drained, or even more so, 

 than that either for corn or grass ; for the roots or 

 trees penetrating deeper than those of any other 

 plant, the necessity of renioving the under, ns well 

 as the surface water, is evident. On the es- 

 tates of Cariston in Forfarshire, and of Skene in 

 Aberdeenshire, many extensive and thriving plan- 

 tations of the various kinds of trees have been 

 made ; and in every situation, where the ground 

 was in need of it, drains were first cut, and are 

 frequently renewed or repaired, as circumstances 

 require. The consequence is, that these woods, 

 are not only in the most forward and thriving 

 state, but of a growth and size remarkable lor 

 their age. The late proprietor, who was a great 



advocate for planting, as well as an active promo- which his estates lay, have also lost one of their most 

 ter of every rural improvement, did, by his own 1 zealous and active iraprover.s. 



as to allow the water to run off without stag-- 

 nation, but not with so rapid a motion as to- 

 injure the bottorn. The firsi is necessary to carry 

 off any sludge, grass, or other obstruction which' 

 the water may meet with ; but, if the descent is 

 too great, the water will form inequalities in the 

 bottom, and also endanger the sides. In moss,- 

 and in very soft soils, even a greater degree of 

 slope may be necessary than what is above men- 

 tioned ; and in all cases, where it is meant for a 

 drain only, (i. e. to receive and carry ofl water 

 without any regard to its being a fence), none of 

 the earth thrown out should remain upon the 

 sides, for the reasons already stated. In soft 

 marshy ground, where it may be proper to make 

 tlie line of drain a fence, the bank of earth thrown 

 out, (which should always be on the lower side), 

 may remain, and a small parallel cut be made at 

 the back of it, to receive the surface water from 

 that side, and to convey it to a proper place, where 

 it may be admitted into a larger drain. In all 

 cases where the admission of surface water, or 

 what may be much increased in the time of rain, 

 is unavoidable, the drain must be open, to prevent 

 the risk of chokmg or filling up, which would al- 

 ways happen if it were covered. This, however, 

 in the middle or hollow of an improved field, 

 would be hurtful to the eye, and obstruct the act 

 of ploughing, it" formed in the ordinary shape ; 

 but may be remedied by giving the drain such an 

 additional slope, that grass may grow on the 

 sides, and the plough pass over it with little ob- 

 struction ; and if the direction of the lidges is laid 

 in a line parallel to it, there will be less interrup- 



* The author bavins^ enjoyed the patronage and 

 friendship of the late Skene for upwards of twenty-five 

 years, he cannot resist the desire of recording here, his- 

 unfeigned regret for the loss of such an inestimable 

 friend. The counties of Aberdeen and Forfar, in 



