A "PRACTICAL" BEGINNING. 33 



experiences, in these days, that such a doctrine could 

 ever have needed to be enforced by argument ; yet 

 no one will deem it wonderful who has personally 

 witnessed the unaccountable and ever new difficulty 

 of getting proper attention paid to the leveling of 

 the bottom of a Drain, and the laying of the tiles 

 in that continuous line, where one single depression 

 or irregularity, by collecting the water at that spot 

 year after year, tends toward the eventual stoppage 

 of the whole drain, through two distinct causes, the 

 softening of the foundation underneath the sole, or 

 tile flange, and the deposit of soil inside the tile 

 from the water collected at the spot, and standing 

 there after the rest had run oft*. Every depression, 

 however slight, is constantly doing this mischief in 

 every drain where the fall is but trifling ; and if to 

 the two consequences above mentioned, we may add 

 the decomposition of the tile itself by the action of 

 Water long stagnant within it, we may deduce that 

 every tile-drain laid with these imperfections in the 

 finishing of the bottom, has a tendency toward 

 obliteration, out of all reasonable proportion with 

 that of a well-burnt tile laid on a perfectly even in- 

 clination, which, humanly speaking, may be called a 

 permanent thing. An open ditch cut by the most 



skillful workman, in the Summer, affords the best 

 2* 



