DRAINING. 



DRAINING. 



11 



In many situations, where a spring is to be 

 reached, it is very de- 

 sirable to form a well 

 by the side of the drain, 

 according to the annexed 

 outline. (Trans. High. 

 Soc. vol. i. p. 223.) A 

 very common modern 

 mode of constructing 

 the drain is according to the form 

 in fig. 12. Loose mould or gravel 

 is placed at the top to the depth of 

 1 foot. Sod, straw, heath, or rushes 

 4 inches; and then land stones 1 

 foot 8 inches thick surround the 

 draining tiles. 

 The drain tiles, bricks, or other materials, 

 are covered with any porous material that the 

 locality affords. Stones, gravel, scoria, refuse 

 of the foundries, ashes, peat, moss, sods, brush- 

 wood, straw, heath, ling, rushes, &c. Instead 

 of draining-tiles of the horseshoe form, pipes 

 are now substituted in many parts of England, 

 as much more economical, and equally effectual 

 in convey ing off the surplus water. At first, the 

 pipes were made by bringing the edges not quite 

 together, leaving an open seam at the under part 

 for the admission of water. But it is now 

 generally thought better to close the seam, and 

 form a complete pipe, with a bore of sufficient 

 diameter, say 1 or 1| inches. Some of the 

 machines for moulding these pipes will turn off 

 eleven at one operation, all of uniform thickness 

 of bore, and in length about 12 to 15 inches. A 

 machine invented by Mr. Scragg, of CaKvly, 

 Cheshire, is equivalent to the easy manufacture 

 of more than 20,000 pipes of an inch bore per 

 day of 10 hours, and soon in proportion for other 

 sizes. Whether tiles or pipes are employed, the 

 opinion is very generally in favour of laying 

 both at a greater depth than was formerly 

 recommended, seldom, if ever, less than 4 feet. 

 The substitution of small pipes for tiles, has 

 lessened the cost of draining, from 825, and 

 sometimes $50, to $10 or $15 per acre 



Square or triangular tubes, made of larch- 

 wood of the following shapes, so as to give a 

 water way of 2 or 2 1 inches, with sides fastened 

 together with wooden pegs, and pierced with 

 auger holes, have been recommended for their 

 economy. 



Mr. Wilson calculates the average expense 

 with stones per rood to be 7*. 8d. (Quart. Journ. 

 Jlgr. vcl. i. p. 242.) Mr. Yule at per rood of 

 21 feet, 2 feet 9 inches deep with 3 inch tiles, 

 at Is. Q$d.\ with 4 inches, 4$ to 5 feet deep, 

 1*. 3$d. ; with 6 inch tiles, the same depth, 1*. 

 6jrf. (7/,W. p. 397.) 



The expense of tile draining has been thus 

 estimated by Mr. Carmichael (Trans. High. Sot. 

 vol. vi. p. 98) at per imperial acre ; tiles being 

 2s. 6d. per 100, and soles 1*. 6rf. per 100. 

 53 



With regard to the cost of thorough draining 

 in Scotland, Mr. Stephens gives the following 



(IftiiiK drawn from actual experiments: 



Opening drains 33 inches deep and 7 inches wide at bot- 



i 'Hi. it 5Jd per rood or rod of 6 yards. 

 Preparing stones, 4 inches in diameter, ut </. pt-r rood. 

 Carriage of stones, at 4|</. per rood. 

 Unloading carts and moving screen-barrow, frf. per rood. 

 FilliK in earth. ></. per rood. 

 Eitra expense in the main drains about 10*. per acre. 



Another statement for drains of rather smaller 

 size, viz. : 



23 inches deep, 7 inches wide at bottom, allows \d. per 



rood of 6 yards for openin _ 

 Preparing stone, at 2H- per rood. 



.' of stones, at "l\d. per rood. 

 Unloading carts and moving screen-barrow, at 2Jd. per 



ro.id. 



Filling in enrth, at \\d. per rood. 

 Extra expense in the main drains, I0j. per acre. 



In computing the cost in Scotland of the la- 

 bour in draining with stones, the hire of the 

 horse is put down at 3. 4</., the man's wages 

 1*. 8</., and that of the driver lOrf. per day. 

 Taking into consideration the necessary num- 

 ber of drains required, the first estimate makes 

 the cost, supposing each imperial acre to con- 

 tain 70 roods of drains of 6 yards each, 4, 12*. 

 6d. ; the 5econd estimate 3, 8s. 4(7. per acre. 



Mr. Stirling estimates the expense of drain- 

 ing per imperial acre (Trans. High. Soc. vol. vi. 

 p. Ill), to be, 



Brushwood and Straw Draining. When tiles, 

 stones, and other materials best adapted to the 

 construction of drains cannot be procured, brush, 

 straw, or even sod, has been employed to fiL 



* Carts of stones. 



f Stone drains. 

 417 



