ON MEASURE-WORK. 



M5 



of tlie 'soil, as to the quantity removed in a g-iven time. 

 Some, as peat, are dug without much labour; while other 

 soils cannot be dug at all unless they are first loosened with 

 the pick. It has been calculated that a man will dig and 

 move 10 cubic yards of soil in a day, the soil not re(]uiring 

 the pick to be used : this is perhaps under the average ; for 

 I find the labourers on the railway are ])aid 2^/. a cubic yard 

 for moving and digging a hard ston}' soil to the depth 

 of 18 inches ; of this they are able to move from 10 to 12 

 yards in a day. 



As I am aware of the uncertainty of this kind of labour, I 

 shall merely mention the prices and details relating to agree- 

 ments for the execution of this work. — 1. Paid 20^/. a rod for 

 digging an open drain in a peaty soil ; the drain was 5 feet 

 deep, and averaged G feet in width ; a cubic yard was there- 

 fore dug for about 1^/., or if we calculate it exactly, 18^ 

 yards for 20^/. — 2. Paid 16d. a rod for digging a ditch 3 

 feet deep, 4^ feet wide at top, and 1^ at bottom; the ditch 

 ran through a variety of soils, principally clay and gravel; 

 this bargain also included, in addition to the digging, the 

 laying in a quick for a fence, and the topping the bank 

 with thorns as a protection to the young hedge : 5| cubic 

 yards of earth had to be moved for every rod ; and it took 70 

 days of labour for one man to complete the job of 114 

 rods, the amount for which, at IQd. a rod, is 71. 12s., or 

 about 2s. 2d. a day. — 3. Paid Is. lOd. a rod for a ditch 

 and fence in a clay and gravelly soil ; the ditch was 4 feet 

 deep, and averaged a little over 4 feet in width, so that 

 nearl}'- 10 cubic yards of soil were removed for every rod. 



2. Drahuug. — The cost of the labour required in drain- 

 ing, depends, firstly, upon the nature of the soil in which the 

 drains are dug, and, secondly, upon the depth and materials 

 used for filling up. Draining on a soiind clay, free from 

 stones, may be executed at a chcapci' rate per rod in length 

 than on almost anj' other kind of soil ; as from the firmness of 

 the clay, the work may be done with narrow spades, and but 

 a small quantity of soil requires to be removed by manual 

 labour. The draining of wet sands or gravels, or clays in 

 which veins of sand abound, is more expensive than on the 

 sound clays, because a broader spade has to be used, and 

 consequently a larger amount of soil removed. Some soils 

 are so hard and stony that they cannot be dug unless the 

 pick is first used : this adds considerably to the expense. On 

 the sound clays of Suifblk and Essex, the' price for digging 



