DR A 



DRE 



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cr carriages are not obstructed or 

 incommoded by them. So that 

 these drains may pass across roads 

 without detriment, when the des- 

 cent requires it. It is often neces- 

 sary to hollow drain roads to lay 

 them dry, and found to be of great 

 advantage. 



The draining of a marish, or 

 shaking meadow, which seems to 

 be a soil floating on the water, is 

 sometimes practicable. I shall 

 give the reader the method of do- 

 ing it in the words of the ingenious 

 Mr. Dickson. — " To drain a ma- 

 rish," says he, " it is necessary, in 

 the first place, to convey away all 

 the stagnating water : And this wa- 

 ter can be conveyed away in no 

 other manner, than by a large 

 open drain, with a sufficient fail. 

 This fall must be such, as to carry 

 off the water from the bottom of 

 the marish ; otherwise little advan- 

 tage is to be expected from it. By 

 conveying away all the stagnating 

 water, some land on each side will 

 be gained : For the water being 

 removed, the earth by degrees will 

 subside, and become firm and solid. 

 By this, likewise, the bottom will 

 become firm ; which will allow the 

 drain, by degrees, to be carried 

 forward through the middle of the 

 marish. If the springs, by which 

 the marish is supplied, arise near 

 the middle, this principal drain, 

 with some branches cut from each 

 side, where the springs are largest, 

 or most numerous, will be suffi- 

 cient. But if there are springs in 

 all places, as is frequently the case, 

 it will be necessary to make drains 

 at the sides, as nearly parallel to 

 the principal drain, as the situa- 

 15 



lion of the marish will allow, to in- 

 tercept the water that comes from 

 the heights, and supplies the springs. 

 It will be necessary, likewise, to 

 make communications, by cross 

 drains,b€(wixt the parallel drains at 

 the sides, and the principal drain in 

 the middle." It is no wonder if the 

 cost of draining a shaking meadow 

 should be considerable, as it seems 

 like a soil floating upon water. — 

 But there is no reason to doubt its 

 becoming some of the best soil, 

 when so drained as to give firmness 

 to it. 



DRAY, or car^ a slight kind of 

 carriage drawn by one horse. It 

 consists of a pair of thills, connect- 

 ed by two or three cross bars. The 

 hinder ends of the thills slide along 

 on the ground. It draws heavily 

 on bare roads, but on grass land 

 much more easily. The horse 

 must carry much of the load on his 

 back. In case of necessity, it is 

 better than no carriage. 



DRESSING, the application of 

 dung, or other manures, to soils, to 

 increase their fruitfulness. Dres- 

 sing differs from manuring in gen- 

 eral, only as it is chiefly intended 

 for the increasing of one single 

 crop. Not only are dressings ne- 

 cessary for poor and weak soils 5 

 but they are profitably applied to 

 those which are rich and strong ; 

 especially when seeds are sown 

 which need much nourishment, or 

 will make good return for it. 



There are four things chiefly to 

 be regarded in dressing; the suita- 

 bleness of the dressing to the soil, 

 and to the crop ; and the manner 

 and the season of applying it. 



To light, warm, or sandy soils. 



