DRAINING RUNNING SANDS. 129 



filling'-in 4-feet drains ; but labour in England varies con- 

 siderably. There are draining" tools, wliicli, in the hands of 

 men accustomed to them and to the work, enable them to 

 earn 3.s\ or 3.s\ Gd. per day at this rate of pay per rod. 

 There is no material equal to tiles or pipes. The labour of 

 picking- and breaking- stones is nearly ecpiivalent to the cost 

 of tiles. Where fuel is moderate, Ij-inch tiles may be made 

 at from 10s. to ISs. per 1000, the cost of coals being- from 

 8s. to 28^. per ton; and about 750 are sufficient for -an acre 

 at 40-feet distances. If tiles are used, no stones should be 

 put on them. I put a little heath or straw on the tiles to 

 prevent their dislodg-enient by the fall of the earth in filling'- 

 in, or soil working- in at the joints. At the prices I have 

 g'iven, draining- costs from 65.^. to 90.?. per acre, including- 

 carriag'e of materials ; I never use pipes or tiles less than 

 1^,-inch bore. I think the use of stones alone is objection- 

 able, and have lately heard g'reat complaints where they 

 have been used, and the draining- cost from 8/. to 9/. per 

 acre. All drains should be carried directly up the fall, 

 never across. The object in view should be ever to g-ive an 

 even current with the g-reatest foil, and then there is eveiy 

 chance of the drain being- j)ermanent and always washing* 

 itself clean. A knowledg-e of g-eolog-y will much assist in 

 arrang-ing- the direction of the drains ; cutting- across tlie 

 lines of strata or deposits let out the v/ater that lies between 

 them. Before draining-, examine 3-our land by sinking- little 

 Avells 4 or 5 feet deep ; ami if you find a porous substratum 

 that allows water to freely pass dov/n, and you are not 

 shown that water rises in winter, do not drain, for no benefit 

 can accrue therefrom. 



Agricidtural Gazette, Dec. 19, 1846. 



