60 OF DRAINING. 



cess, that lie has brought it to nearly the same rotation as 

 the land to which it is contiguous. Thus, by the exertions 

 made by the Board of Agriculture, the principles adopted 

 by Elkington have been successfully carried into effect, in 

 remote parts of the kingdom. 



4. Mr Robertson of Ladykirk has adopted an excellent 

 plan in carrying on his draining operations; that of ma- 

 king ponds of pure and excellent water from the conductors 

 in every field, entering and leaving the ponds continually, 

 and very far preferable to any standing pool. 



5. Mr Wilson in Simprin, in Berwickshire, strongly in- 

 culcates the advantage of draining, and laments that so es- 

 sential an improvement should still be much wanted in Ber- 

 wickshire, not from the want of spirit in the farmers, but for 

 two reasons : 1. The want of stones in the low district, as 

 there is not a sufficient quantity even to make the roads, 

 which, in his opinion, is the first of all improvements ; 2. 

 The shortness of leases. To remedy the first obstacle, 

 thorns or brushwood should be used ; as he has already had 

 such drains running for above nine years. As to leases, if 

 they are not to be lengthened, the proprietor should cut the 

 drains, and the tenants should fill them up. Freestone 

 may be got at some situations at the expence of quarrying, 

 as has been done in Berwickshire, by that eminent friend 

 to improvement, Mr Robertson of Ladykirk. It may be 

 proper at the same time to remark, that the common land- 

 stones, gathered upon the fields, hardened by the atmos- 

 phere, are much superior to any sort of quarry stones. 



6. The advantages of draining are thus explained by Mr 

 Jack of Moncur. His farm principally consists of a fine 

 deep loam soil, of a brown colour. Its subsoil is a mixed 

 clay of different colours, with some strata of very quick sand ; 

 and in the sand there were great runs of water, forcing it- 

 self up through the soil at all seasons, which very much in- 



