1339] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



725 



substance, is all rotied hikI curried away, leaving 

 a clear pipe through the land in every drain, into 

 wliicli the ()ass:iij(» ol" the water may have in'^en 

 iniu'h la.aliiated, hy a due attention to the filiintr 

 ol" the drains wiiii the most lli;>h!e and porous 

 parts ofihe surface the field mi<rht iiave afforded.'- 



The latest and best iinproveivieni in filiini^ hol- 

 low .iraiiis with straw, is that of iwistinfj the straw 

 into a rope, described in the foiiowinir passage 

 conc.ernin>r some iniproveiTHMits in Essex: — 



"The most prominent featnn^ of his imorove- 

 ments, is a new method of filiintr land-drains: 

 Tlie common practice is to tread in loose straw; 

 but Mr. Cedwell has invented a method of wind- 

 intr it into a hard rope, as lai^ije as a man's arm, 

 wliich he forces to the bottom of the drains, and 

 finds fi'om experience, copied siiccc-^sfnliy by his 

 neiijlibors, to convey the water olf more readily, 

 and to have much lonsrer duration; at the same 

 time, the quantity of straw consumed is not in- 

 creased, and the operation of fillinir accelerated. 

 After the cattle have picked it over, he finds the 

 straw tougher, and in better order to wind, than 

 when quite dry and fresh." 



The next material to be noticed, is bricks niude 

 for the purpose. 



They are effective, but expensive, and not so 

 wall adapted for surface-draining, except for con- 

 ducfmij away springs, in which work a small ex- 

 tent of drains may answer (or a large tract of l;ind. 

 These bricks are made of various shapes and 

 sizes, but generally have a semicircular cavity for 

 the water to flow in, and rest, in stiff soils, on the 

 ground; in soft soils, upon each other, forming a 

 circular tube, or on conuiion bricks, as a Ibun- 

 dation. 



When small drains are wanted, and when the 

 water is to be conveyed to a house, &c. No. 1 is 

 commonly made use of. 



For larger drains. No. 2 and 3 are well adapt- 

 ed, especially No. 3, invented by Mr. Coachman, 

 of Bosworth Temple, in Warwickshire, and with 

 which Mr. Elkmgton laid man\' of his drains. 



They are laid smgle, without one reversed 

 under; for, when that is done, the water running 

 on the under one, occasions a kind of sludge, 

 which in time becomes so encrusted on it, as total- 

 ly to obstruct the passage of the water, and render 

 the work useless in a ihw j'^ears. In clay bottoms 

 they may be laid single, or without any thing 

 under; but, in soft sandy bottoms, a common 

 building brick should be laid under each side, to 

 prevent them fi-om sinking down, and should be so 

 laid as to form a reirular arch (i. e. the side bricks 

 laid with an equal height.) the better to support 

 the pressure above from breaking them, or causing 

 them to slip. They may be constructed in the 

 above shape, to any dimensions suitable to the 

 quantity of water the drain is to convey. See 

 plate. 



In Essex and other counties, pipes of clay, 

 about eighteen inches lonij, with an opening of 

 three or (bur inches diameter, are burnt, and ap- 

 plied to similar purposes, but are best calculated 

 for conveying any small rill of water, or spring, lor 

 the supply of a house, &,c. 



XI. Mode, of filling. 



There is one circumstance in fillinjr the drains, 

 attended to particularly f)y farmers who are most 



solicitous to have the work well perlbrmed, and 

 that is, to contract with their men only f()r digging 

 and leavino- clean, in order that the liiliii<r may be 

 done by men paid by the day, as a greater securi- 

 ty that it should be execnied with all j)os.sdile care, 

 and is usually attended by Ihe farmer himself or 

 some confidential servant. This is a rational prac- 

 tice, and merits being followed. Mr. You i iff, of 

 Clare, observes, in the paper quoted belbre, that 

 "It is an invarinbie rule with me, never to suffer 

 the n)an who diss, to cover up the drains, but it is 

 left open for me or my bailiff to examine; and 

 then it is well niled up to the shoulder 'with wheat- 

 stubble, cut and stacked for the purpose inmie- 

 diaiely after Ihe harvest, and a siiiall stick or two 

 at the outlet, to prevr^ni is being stopped by any 

 external accidetn. Lastly, with a common plough, 

 I turn a furrow of the upper soil or mould upon 

 ihe drain, takiniX care not to turn in any of the 

 dead soil raised by the land-ditch spade, which 

 ought alwavs to be laid on the outside, and scat- 

 tered over the land. It is ri<rht not to let the 

 drains lie open any length of time, lest they get 

 injured by wet or frjsl; my general rule is, to fill 

 ih'^m up every day." 



The different methods of fi'linir, with stone, 

 with wood, and with straw, will be better under- 

 stood by examining the plate. 



XII. Of the expense. 



The expense of these drains will, of course, 

 vary with the soil, depth, price of labor, &c. ; and 

 these circumstances are so different, in difTi>.rent 

 districts, and even in different parishes, that it ac- 

 counts for the varyinn" reports of writers on the 

 subject. The price in Suffolk, to dig and fill two- 

 i spit drains, is 3s. Ad. to 3s. Qd. a score rods. In 

 the following notes of Essex draining, other rates 

 are mentioned, and also the cost of materials used 

 in fillinir, an article liable to equal variations with 

 the labor. 



Mr. James Young says — "It is not easy to as- 

 certain the price of caning the wheat-stubble to 

 the place where it will be wanted, and stacking it, 

 because the value must depend upon the distance: 

 it is equally difficult to say what the wo'-k of the 

 ploughs ouszht to be valued at; for, though several 

 acres may be drawn out in a day with one plough, 

 yet I never choose to do above two or three hours 

 work at a time; therefore I shall leave every farmer 

 to fix his own price upon these parts of the busi- 

 ness, only desiring him to consider, that it is work 

 that will wait for a leisure time, and (i-equently, if 

 the horses were not so employed, they would earn 

 nothing. 



"I pay for digging the land drains Is. 8rf., and 

 for filling them up with stubble If/, per score rods. 

 An active man, used to the work, where the soil 

 is not stony, will dis twenty-three or twenty-four 

 rods in a day, within working hours. 



"The state of the expense, that is, the money a 

 farmer will pay out of his pocket tor draining an 

 acre of land, will stand thus: — 

 "'For cuttino; and rakinop tocrether an acre of 



wheat-stubble, crenerally sufficient for an acre of 



drains, - ' - - - - £0 2 

 "Diirging eighf score rods of drains, 13 4 



"Filling them un wish stubble, - 2 8 



"Extra work with the common spade, 2 



£1 0" 



