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AUGER, DRAINING. 



AUGER, DRAINING. An instrument em- 

 ployed for the purpose of boring into the bot- 

 toms of drains or other places, in order to 

 discover and let off water. It is nearly similar 

 to that made use of in searching for coal or 

 other subterraneous minerals. The auger, 

 shell, or wimble, as it is variously called, for 

 excavating the earth or strata through which 

 it passes, is generally from two and a half to 

 three and a half inches in diameter ; the hollow 

 part of it one foot four inches in length, and 

 constructed nearly in the shape of the wimble 

 used by carpenters, only the sides of the shell 

 come closer to one another. The rods are 

 made in separate pieces of four feet long each, 

 that screw into one another to any assignable 

 length, one after another as the depth of the 

 hole requires. The size above the auger is 

 about an inch square, unless at the joints, 

 where, for the sake of strength, they are a 

 quarter of an inch more. 



There is also a chisel and punch, adapted 

 for screwing on, in going through hard gravel, 

 or other metallic substances, to accelerate the 

 passage of the auger, which could not other- 

 wise perforate such hard bodies. The punch 

 is often used, when the auger is not applied, 

 to prick or open the sand or gravel, and give 

 a more easy issue to the water. The chisel is 

 an inch and a half or two inches broad at the 

 point, and made very sharp for cutting stone; 

 and the punch an inch square, like the other 

 part of the rods, with the point sharpened also. 



As it is remarked by Johnstone, in his ac- 

 count of Elkington's mode of draining, to judge 

 when to make use of the borer is a difficult 

 part of the business of draining. Many who 

 have not seen it made use of in draining, have 

 been led into a mistaken notion, both as to the 

 manner of using it and the purpose for which 

 it is applied. They think, that if by boring 

 indiscriminately through the ground to be 

 drained, water is found near enough the sur- 

 face to be reached by the depth of the drain, 

 the proper direction for it is along these holes 

 where water has been found ; and thus make 

 it the first implement that is used. The con- 

 trary, however, in practice, is the case, and the 

 auger is never used till after the drain is cut; 

 and then for the purpose of perforating any 

 retentive or impervious stratum, lying be- 

 tween the bottom of the drain and the reser- 

 voir or strata containing the spring. Thus it 

 greatly lessens the trouble and expense that 

 would otherwise be requisite in cutting the 

 trench to that depth to which, in many in- 

 stances, the level of the outlet will not admit. 

 The manner of using it is simply thus : in 

 working it, two, or rather three men, are ne- 



AVENA. 



cessary. Two stand above, on each side of 

 the drain, who turn it round by means of the 

 wooden handles, and when the auger is full 

 they draw it out ; and the man in the bottom 

 of the trench clears out the earth, assists in 

 pulling it out, and directing it into the hole, 

 and who can also assist in turning with the 

 iron handle or key when the depth and length 

 of rods require additional force to perform the 

 operation. The workmen should be cautious 

 in boring not to go deeper at a time, without 

 drawing, than the exact length of the shell, 

 otherwise the earth, clay, or sand, through 

 which it is boring, after the shell is full, makes 

 it very difficult to pull out. For this purpose 

 the exact length of the shell should be regu- 

 larly marked on the rods, from the bottom up- 

 wards. Two flat boards, with a hole cut into 

 the side of one of them, and laid alongside of 

 one another over the drain, in the time, of 

 boring, are very useful for directing the reds 

 in going down perpendicularly, for keeping 

 them steady in boring, and for the men stand- 

 ing on when performing the operation. 



AVENA. A genus of grasses ; the oat- 

 grass. Some of the species may be cultivated 

 to advantage in suitable situations, intermixed 

 with a due proportion of other grasses. 



Avena Jlavescens. Golden oat, or yellow oat- 

 grass. This is one of tho- which 

 never thrives when cultivated simply by itself: 

 it requires to be combined with other grasses 

 to secure its continuance in the soil, and to 

 obtain its produce in, perfection. It thrives 

 best in England when combined with the Hor- 

 deum pratense (meadow barley), Cynosurus 

 cristatus (crested dog's-tail), and Anthoxantum 

 odoratum (sweet-scented vernal -grass). It 

 affects most a calcareous soil, and that which 

 is dry. It grows naturally, however, in al- 

 most every kind of meadow : it is always 

 present in the richest natural pastures in Eng- 

 land where its produce is not, however, very 

 great, nor its nutritive qualities considerable. 

 The nutritive matter it affords from its leaves, 

 (the properties of which are of more import- 

 ance to be known than those of the culms, for 

 a permanent pasture grass,) contains propor- 

 tionally more bitter extractive than what is con- 

 tained in the nutritive matters of the grasses 

 with which it is more generally combined in na- 

 tural pastures, and which have just now been 

 mentioned. This latter circumstance is the 

 chief claim it has to a place in the composition 

 of the produce of rich pasture land ; but more 

 particularly, if the land be elevated, and with- 

 out good shelter, this grass becomes more 

 valuable, as it thrives better under such cir- 

 cumstances than most other grasses, and sheep 



(Sinclair's Hort. Gram. Wob.) 

 127 



