THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



463 



IMPROVED AGRICULTURK. 



At the late meeting at Bristol of the Briiish 

 Royal Agriciiltiiral Society, Mr. Smith of Dean- 

 8ton, the author as he may be called of the im- 

 proved system of thorough draining and subsoil 

 ploughing, was called upon to explain at large 

 his views and practice in a public lecture. This 

 was done without writing, and has been reported 

 at large in the agricultural press. We have con- 

 densed it I'rom the Mark Line Express, but have 

 taken care to omit nothing that is essential to a 

 full understanding of the subject. It is full of 

 important matter, and will be read by every 

 intelligent /i^rmer with the deepest interest. The 

 results of this system are beneficial in the most 

 extraordinary degree, and bid fair almost to re- 

 volutionize the husbandry of Great Britain. The 

 results are not more extraordinary than they are 

 profitable, as it appears from the most undoubted 

 facts, that while under the old system, a Scotch 

 acre of land in a lease of 18 years, would after 

 paying all the expenses of cultivation and rent, 

 leave a profit of only £5 143. sterling, lor the 

 whole time, and ai the same lime the quality of 

 the land become deteriorated ; under the im- 

 proved system, the land iisell" would be left in 

 a highly ameliorating condition, and the actual 

 profits for the same time, after expenses were 

 paid, would be £64 Us. sterling.— £'fZ. N. G. F. 



LECTURE BY MR. SMITH, OF DEANSTON, ON 

 - DRAINAGE. 



Delivered before the Members of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society, in the theatre of the Philosophical 

 Institution, Bristol, Wednesday, July 13, 1842. 



From the Bristol Mercury. 



After apologizing for the alteration of the time 

 of lecturing, Mr. Smith proceeded : 



The dryness of land is of great importance — in 

 fact, the dry condition of the soil is the foundation 

 of all good husbandry. It is beneficial to the 

 working of the soil ; to the alier-growth of plants. 

 There is scarcely any labor of agriculture which 

 is not facilitated by the dryness of the soil. If we 

 find a tree stronger than his neighbor, we shall 

 find that there the soil is deep and in a dry con- 

 dition. If we see a stronger and darker colored 

 herbage growing on the hill side, there the soil 

 will be found deep, and in a dry condition. There 

 is not one of the various soils of the United 

 Kingdom which will not be much improved by 

 being placed in a dry condition, if they are not so 

 by nature. Even on a subsoil of grave! or sand, 

 the introduction of the thorough drain system 

 would be beneficial ; but as there is only a small 

 portion of that sort of soil in this country, the 

 greater part being super-imposed upon a wet soil, 

 it becomes of the first importance to improvement 

 in agriculture, that means be taken to render the 

 soil dry. Many attempts have been made with 

 that view, but until the introduction of the tho- 

 rough drain system, there was not the power of 

 draining land, on whatever subsoil resting, and 

 rendering it completely dry. The purpose of this 

 lecture is to illustrate the principles on which this 

 system acts; then, to show the advantages in 

 carrying on the different processes with respect 

 to the various crops; and then to explain the 



modes employed to render this drainage effective. 



[Mr. Smith here illustrated, by a diagram, his 

 method of thorough draining; the soil, the sub- 

 soil, the drains, &c., being represented.] 



In relerring to two lines, representing the di- 

 rection of drains, he had drawn one at a greater 

 inclination than the other, to show the advantage 

 of making the drains deeper than they generally 

 were. The prevailing practice was to make the 

 drains two leet deep, but he preferred an additional 

 six inches— it was of great importance to allow 

 the water to go off as quickly as possible, and this 

 advantage was secured by cutting the drain to a 

 greater declination. People suppose that at a 

 great depth water would not go off at all, but 

 this was a mistake. Another advantage Irora a 

 deep drain was that it allowed the whole bank 

 of soil to become completely dry, and it conse- 

 quently required a very heavy 'rain to wet it. 

 The action of the atmosphere too required to be 

 taken into account. He would not enter upon 

 the chemical question, but it was well known that 

 soils were much improved by the action of the air, 

 and this advantage could only be secured after the 

 water was withdrawn. 



To render the field completely dry, a great 

 number of drains should be cut, and they should 

 belaid off in parallel lines beginning at the high- 

 est side of the field. This secures a thorough dry- 

 ing. When the lines run parallel, much greater 

 effect is produced than when they are drawn 

 across. When drawn across, the drains may 

 catch the water, but it does not run off so 

 readily. 



The distance at which the drains should be 

 placed wi\[ depend on the soil. 11' the field has 

 been subsoiled, the plough will form artificial 

 channels in the soil below. Ifitisa stiff soil, it 

 will keep long upon the surface ; the more tree 

 the soil is, the greater tendency it has to alloiv the 

 water to pass : so that on a stiff soil, such as the 

 stiffer clays, taking into account the nature of the 

 subsoil and the soil itself, about the same drain, 

 will serve on all soils. The distances are gene- 

 rally from 15 to 20 leet : in some soils individu- 

 als have put in the drains at 12 feet ; but that is, in 

 some degree, throwing away money. From ob- 

 servations which I have made myself on all sorts 

 of soil, I recommend about 16 to 20 feet as ihe 

 distance from one drain to the other. 



The way I usually proceed in draining is, first, 

 to find a good bottom-level to run the drain into. 

 In some parts of the country there is difficulty in 

 getting an open level to carry off the whole water 

 of the district, but by a proper engineering it may 

 be accomplished in most situations : because it is 

 lound that if proper channels are executed, a 

 larger quantity of water will be di&charged with a 

 very small fall. In an endeavor to carry off water, 

 I ibund that in a drop of four inches in a mile, 

 thirty leet wide and six feet deep, I could discharge 

 300 tons of water per minute : which is much 

 more than would fall in a very extensive district 

 indeed. So that if means be taken to carry off the 

 main level, a liill may be had. 



I should make the great main drain, if possible, 

 abotit four leet deep— three feet six inches will do ; 

 but in order to have a drop Irom the one drain into 

 the other, I make the main drain four feet deep, 

 the receiving drain three feet deep, and the paral- 

 lel drains two feet six inches. When there is any 



