farmers' miscellany. 91 



face of the banks ami cause them to run in and fill up the drain, 

 unless they are protected by stones as I have mentioned. 



There are advantages in constructing and filling drains in the 

 manner here represented, which I will mention. There is much 

 less hard-pan to pick up and throw out ; there is scarcely a pos- 

 sibility of the banks working in through the action of frost, or 

 their being filled with earth, so long as the land remains in grass ; 

 they will be much easier taken up in case that operation ever has 

 to be performed ; it takes far less stone to fill them, and when 

 filled, if they should wash out at the bottom, the stones cannot 

 settle down and obstruct the water course, because their pressure 

 is lateral against the sides of the drain. I will venture to say 

 that this is the very best method of filling a drain where the ma 

 terials can be procured without too great expense. The materials 

 should be on hand before the ditch is dug, and when dug it should 

 be filled immediately. 



Another way of filling drains of this shape is to set flat stones, 

 or those with thick ends and thin ones, on the bottom, with the 

 smallest and thinnest ends down, leaning against the side stones, 

 and against each other ; then put the largest you have next on 

 top which will leave the greater space for water to circulate among 

 those which are on the bottom ; a little practice will make all 

 familiar ; then finish filling as before directed. 



DISEASE IN POTATOES. 



BY M. SUTTER. 



According to the last census, 108,298,060 bushels of potatoes 

 were raised in the United States. Unfortunately, within the last 

 two years, this crop — of importance inferior in this country to 

 none, except perhaps the wheat crop — has suffered severely from 

 disease. What the average diminution from this cause may be 

 through the nation, it is impossible to estimate from any data in 

 my possession. In some sections, however, it may safely be set 

 down at fifty per cent, and in others as high as, or higher, than seven- 

 ty-five per cent. Some individual cases may have occurred,where the 



