ON DRAINING. 113 



The infermls at wliicli the drains are placed in the field, 

 vary from 17 to 30 feet, according' to the texture of the 

 soil and subsoil. In the division of Buchan, which con- 

 tains a greater pro])ortion of clay than any other part of 

 the county, it is in many cases found necessary, for ejecting' 

 complete and efficient drainag'e, to have them so close to 

 each other as 17 or 18 feet. When the ridges are 17 

 feet in width, it is the common practice to form a di'ain. 

 in each of the inter-furrows. In the other divisions of 

 the coimty, however, the soil is not in general of a very 

 adhesive character, and drains from 20 to 30 feet apart are 

 found quite adequate to effect the object in view. They 

 are often, but not invariably, made in the furrows; the 

 proper direction and distance asunder being objects of greater 

 importance. 



Dimensions. — The dimensions of furrow-drains are in a 

 g'reat degree regulated by the kind of material intended to 

 be employed in filling-, and also by the manner of forming" 

 the channel for the passage of water. Stones are almost 

 exclusively used for this purpose throughout Aberdeenshire ; 

 and there are two methods of putting them into the drains. 

 Many farmers, agreeably to the Deanstone plan, break the 

 stones to a small size, like those used in repairing the public 

 roads ; and put them promiscuously in to a certain depth. 

 Several others, however, are of opinion that each drain should 

 be furnished with an " eye " or open conduit in the bottom, 

 similar to, but of smaller dimensions than, that of the main 

 drains already described. Each of these modes of filling', 

 and the cases in which the last -mentioned one becomes 

 preferable to the other, shall be adverted to in a subsequent 

 part of this paper. When it is intended to form an " eye," 

 or opening in the bottom of the drain of 3 inches in width 

 by 4 in height, which are the usual dimensions, the drain 

 requires to be about 18 inches wide at the top, and 12 at 

 the bottom ; but when broken stones are to be used, without 

 a conduit in the bottom, the drains are formed so narrow as 

 Larely to afford room for the labourers to work with free- 

 dom. In this case, the width at the top is generally 15 

 inches, and that of the bottom 5. 



Much difi'erence of opinion exists among farmers in reg'ard 

 to the most proper depth of drains. There seems, however, 

 to be a general and an increasing disposition to practise 

 somewhat deeper draining than has hitherto been considered 

 necessary or advisable. The usual depth of furrow-drains at 



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