116 ON DRAINING. 



water, rendeinng" tlie drain ])ei'fectly useless. This subject 

 ■will be found treated of" in a previous article (p. 84) bj 

 Mr. Parkes, who has indicated, as we believe, the only mode 

 by which, in the present state of our knowledge, this very 

 serious inconvenience can be obviated. It is with muc'li 

 deference that we observe, that we do not believe that the 

 plan recommended by our talented author will be found 

 effectual. He recommends that each drain should be fur- 

 nished with a securely-formed " eye," or open conduit, in 

 the bottom, which will afford a channel for the free passage 

 of water, and not be '^ very liable to be rendered inoperative 

 by the accumulation of deposit." 



ProiM'r s'lze of Stones for Dratn'uitj. — Many consider 

 that it would be imprudent to reduce the stones to a smaller 

 size than 4| or 4 inches in diameter, from an apprehension 

 that the water would not make its way with sufficient celerity 

 throug'h those of less dimensions. Others, however, break 

 them so as to jiass freely throug'h a ring- 3| inches in 

 diameter, and there are not a few who prefer them so small 

 that the largest in the heaps may pass through a 3-iuch 

 ring. The propriety of using stones of a small size is every 

 year becoming more and more generally recognised in prac- 

 tice ; and, as the size is diminished, the quantity put into 

 the drain is also lessened. On one estate, the proprietor of 

 which defrays the whole of the expense of di-aining, except 

 the carriage of the material i;sed for filling, the drains were^ 

 in 1844, filled with 1-5 inches in de})th of stones, broken so 

 as to pass through a ring 4 inches in diameter; in 1845, all 

 that were mnde were filled with 12 inches in depth of 3-inck 

 stones ; and the regulation since the beginning of the current 

 year is, that only 9 inches in depth of stones, broken so small 

 as to pass freely through a S^-inch ring, shall be used. The 

 drains, it may be jiroper to mention, are 32 inches in depth, 

 14 inches in width at the top, and 5 at the bottom. I 

 may here observe that Mr. Smith considers 4 or 5 inches of 

 broken stones to be quite sufficient. 



The stones are most generally laid down in cart-loads at 

 proper intervals along the sides of the drains, either prior to 

 the cutting being commenced, or while it is being performed. 

 It is found advantageous, ])articularly during winter, to have 

 the stones on the spot previous to cutting the drains, as it is 

 desirable to fill them in immediately after being opened, in 

 order to guard against the falling-in of any portion of the 

 sides, which not unfrequently happens during wet weather. 



