464 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



rise in the around, or any hollows over which the 

 water cannot very well flow, it is necessary to 

 make a cad's drain. That should be made about 

 six inches deeper than the other drains which tall 

 into it ; then running on, it discharges itselt into 

 the maindrain. . 



As to the manner of executing the drams, vari- 

 ous modes are recommended, and on looking to 

 land which has been drained a great many years, 

 where ihe draining has been perlormed carelully, 

 all the diflerent modes employed (or the purpose 

 of keeping the drains open have been etleciive. 

 A c^reat deal of the want of effect in the auralion 

 of drains has been owing to bad execution. !n 

 some instances lagots have been introduced tor 

 the purpose of preserving the openings ot the 

 drain, and these have been found to continue and 

 to preserve the openings in a perfect stale lor nine 

 —in some instances, for twenty years. 



In Scotland the peat-top is irequently used to 

 form the tiles for drains. It does well in clays 

 which are pretty stiff, but not so well in softer soils. 

 In some sandy soils, the sides not being sufficient 

 to resist the pressure of the top, the ule gradually 

 sinks down and closes up the drain. 



Another mode of filling drains is by stones bro- 

 ken into the usual size for making roads. Much 

 has been said against the use of ihis sort of tilling 

 but when properly executed, the work is as du- 

 rable as can be required. Where stone can be 

 had, and tiles are expensive, I should prefer u to 

 the tiles ; it prevents any vermin from travelling 

 in the openings of the drain, such as rats and mice, 

 which do a great deal of mischief. The great 

 point is, to be careful in covering over at the tops. 

 As soon as wet comes, the sand Rnd other materi- 

 als sills down into the stones, and they are choked 

 up. I have lound drains carefully executed com- 

 pletely destroyed in the course of a couple of years. 

 If drains are so packed that the water lalls down 

 on both sides, the parts over-lapping each other, 

 there is no opening whatever (or the sand to hnd 

 its way down. Il drains are carelully cleared in 

 this manner, I will warrant their duration for al- 

 most any period of time. I have executed myself 

 about 130 miles of drain in this way, and have 

 had them all fi^Ld with stones; many of tnem 

 have been done 15 years, and there has not been 

 a single instance of failure. 



A gentleman in the theatre inquired the nature 

 of the soil in the case alluded to. 



Mr. Smith replied, both on a gravel and a clay 

 soil. Many persons have asked wheiher or not 

 the drains would be choked up in particular posi- 

 tions. I have always asked them what position 

 they referred to, and have opened it up that they 

 may see ; and in no instance have I found a sin- 

 gle drain choked up. 1 have Ihe drains of 100 

 acres all discharged into one pond, provided for 

 the purpose of seeing how much deposite came 

 from the drain ; and although we have had heavy 

 rain, I have never seen the water in the pond 

 tin"-ed as if there was much soil in it. I can, there- 

 fore safely recommend stones as a sufficient drain- 

 age': and in many parts of the country it is much 

 cheaper than tiles. 



The next filling used fur preserving Ihe opening 

 of drains is the drain-tile. These are usually 

 made of clay, and burnt. They are very handy 

 and useful ; and where stones are not to be had 

 they are to be preferred. But there are districts 



where the clay-tile cannot be procured at any rea- 

 sonable price. Lord James Hay has recently 

 discovered a method of making them of concrete 

 stones cemented by lime ; in most instances they 

 will come considerably clieaper than the brick- 

 tile, and, if executed on the ground, where they 

 will not have to be carried (ar, the breakage will 

 be (bund to be very little, and they will prove to 

 be durable. The cement made of lime is. more 

 lasting when covered up than if exposed to the 

 atmosphere. , ,. , . j • 



There are two other modes of making drains— 

 peat-earth has been cut into a shape somewhat 

 like a hollow wedge; and a, sort of instrument has 

 been made for the purpose of cutting peat-earth 

 into Ihe (brm of the tile, so as to produce an open- 

 infT not liable to the oljection of the wedge, which 

 frequently sinks and pulls up the opening. A 

 stone is frequently used to lay the concrete tile . 

 upon, and prevent its sinking. It is also made ol 

 concrclG. 



Many persons have expressed the opinion that, 

 in some ol the very stiff clays, drains of this sort 

 would not be efficacious, and that the application 

 of Ihe subsoil plough after the draining would .■ 

 have no good effect. With the view ol showing 

 Ihe beneficial results, both of draining and subsoil- 

 in^T I have brought some specimens, o( diflerent 

 clays, in order to show what improvement can be 

 made. Here is a piece from the Pass of Stirling. 

 This kind of soil has been cultivated Irom a 

 sub'soil, and has been known to produce excellent 

 crops of Swedish turnips. Here is another very 

 hard clay from Yorkshire. r u u 



A oenileman inquired how long alter the sut)- 

 coilinw the land assumed a different character. 



3Jr. Smith— a\mosi immediately— in the very . 

 first year. It requires some years belbre it be- 

 comes adapted for a turnip soil. I have a speci- 

 men ofsome soil which twenty years ago was soex-- 

 tremely stiff from the alluvial deposite in the Pass, 

 of StrilinfT, that it required to be broken with large 

 mallets. To reduce, mechanically, the great lUmps 

 ol soil. Thorough draining or subsoiling was ne- 

 ver thought of till about twenty years ago, when 

 thisland^was first drained; and now they get 

 from il .splendid crops ol turnips, and in almost any 



season. i r.i 



A gentleman wished to be informed ol the na- 

 ture of the soil in Mr. Smith's farm. 



3Jr. Smith— Il varies. In some parts it is sandy 

 clay, and in others, clay perfectly impervious to 

 water. When J first began to subsoil there icas 

 not more than three or four inches of active soil 

 properly so called Jor growing plants : after a ta- 

 bor of about fifteen years I have now an active soil 

 of sixteen inches, and can turn over that now tn 

 any part of the farm. 

 How near are the drains in order to produce that 



result'? ,. ,. n 



Mr. Smith-Tw&niy feet. I think a distance ol 

 about eighteen or twenty feet from drain to drain 

 is a proper distance for almost any subsoil. 1 

 shall now proceed to detail the application ol the 

 subsoil plouoh. 



When I began to cultivate my own larra, 

 although I had'put in the drains, I found they 

 were not so efficacious as expected, and I then 

 beiran to think of stirring up the subsoil, which 

 (rave rise to the idea of Ihe subsod plough, i 

 thought 1 must construct an instrument whicn 



