52d 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 



out promiscuously over the whole surface, forminor 

 quagmires that shake all around, over which it is 

 dangerous for the lightest cattle to pass, and which 

 show themselves at a distance, by the verdure 

 they produce. Of this grass, which is luxuriant 

 even in winter, sheep are remarkably fond, and, 

 devouring it greedily, never fail to be attacked 

 with the ro<. Under the moss or peat earth, ihat-, 

 for ten feet or more, forms the upper part of these 

 bogs, is found a bed of clay, (seldom of great 

 depth), below which there is generally a stratum 



of sand, gravel, or rock, according to that o 

 which the adjacent eminences are composed. The 

 clay iumiediately above this, and between it and 

 the peat, beinir in many places thin, and in some 

 degree porous, the constant pressure of water, con- 

 tained in the high ixrounds above, forces that un- 

 der the bog (with which it is connected), through ; 

 these more porous parts of the clay and peat, 

 where it bursts up, forming those appearances just 

 described, as represented by Plate No. IX. Aa 

 there are a variety of circumstances to be attended 



Plate IX. — Braining of Spring Bogs. — Class 2nd. 

 Horizontal plan. uaiMillMlimi,iiii,mit,,M,,,:..,,,.,:^i' 



A A A, B B B, C C C Springs. 







m^j-rnn ail- ca f-'^'J^Hjp^li^'^ 



[Oulie!- ^" 



lij ue i 



-Ifi'ljoli. 



Section. yf;:::'--:v,;;-n- ■ •., 



A B and C Springs. - 



t) Auger hole. ' !*>■ 



E Higli porous ground. 

 (•' Upper level of tlie water. 

 G Level ofmitlet. .-■. 



H Gravel or sand containing :. _._!__.. L 

 springs. -r:;^,. . .r^ 



lo, in discovering the proper line of the springs, 

 and guiding the direction of the trenches in drain- 

 ing these bugs, as well as every other description 

 of wet ground proceeding from the same cause, it 

 will be best to arrange them in the order in which 

 they follow, previous to describing the manner of 

 executing the drain itself. 



In the first class of these bogs, where it is evi- 

 dent that all the springs arise along the upper 

 edge of the wet ground, one drain, cut in that di- 

 rection, will effectually cure the whole; but where 

 other springs make their appearance, as in class 2, 

 the lower may be the main springs, and the drain 

 should be cut in the line of these accordingly. 



It is of material consequence, therefore, to as- 

 certain which of these are the main springs, or 

 those Irom which the others are supplied; and it is 

 therefore one of the principal circumstances on 

 which the true direction of the drain depends. If, 

 on the surface where the different springs appear, 

 they break out at different levels, according to the i 

 wetness of the season, and those lowest down' 



continue running while those above become dry, 

 it is a sure indication that all the different outlets 

 are connected with, and proceed from, the same 

 source ; and consequently, that the line of the 

 drain should be conducted along the level of the 

 lowermost ones, which, if properly executed, must 

 keep all the others dry. These lower are there- 

 fore the main springs, and those above, the over- 

 flowings of them. 



But if, as has been the too frequent practice, 

 where this discrimination is not attended to, the 

 drain was to be made along the line of the high- 

 est outlets, or places where the water breaks forth, 

 without being sufficiently deep to reach the level 

 of those below, the overflowings only of the 

 spring would be carried away, and the wetnesa 

 proceeding from these removed; while the main 

 springs still continuing to run, would render the 

 land below the level of the bottom of the drain, aa 

 injuriously wet as before. 



[To be continued.] 



