266 



Clay Drains. — Choice of Stock. 



Vol. V. 



respects, a single straip-ht piece of wood 

 would be preferable. When tiiese blocks 

 are placed in the bottom of the drain, a por- 

 tion of clay is thrown in upon them, and a 

 strong man is set to ram it well down on 

 them with a rammer made of hard wood, 

 through which another piece is put at the 

 top, to serve for a handle. Care must be 

 taken not to throw in too much clay at a 

 time, as almost every thing depends upon 

 having the covering as compact as possible. 

 At each separate ramming, the blocks should 

 be drawn forward, so that all, except the last, 

 can be seen; no pieces of clay can then be 

 left in the water-way, and the filling and 

 ramming go regularly on. It might be ne- 

 cessary, in case the clay is hard and dry, to 

 wet it at the time of ramming, — so much 

 depends upon its being rendered perfectly 

 close, and intimately blended. 



The main drains, to receive the drainage 

 from the cross drains, should be larger, there- 

 fore the blocks of wood must be larger and 

 deeper, and the ends of the smaller drains 

 should enter them a little down stream, to 

 prevent tlie washing choaking the ends. It 

 is necessary to add, the bottom of the drain 

 must be perfectly clean before the blocks are 

 placed, and the most adhesive clay or soil 

 that has been dug out, must be first thrown in, 

 a small portion at a time, and very well 

 rammed ; then that which is less, and still 

 less adhesive, until nothing but the vegetable 

 mould and turf are left, which may be re- 

 turned at leisure; the blocks being drawn 

 forward by sticking the lever into the bottom 

 of the trench, and forcing them on, until all 

 but the last is seen, when the filling and 

 ramming again commences, as said above. 

 None of the soil must be carried away ; all 

 must be returned, and so completely rammed 

 into the trencli, that when the vegetable 

 mould and turf shall be filled in, the rib on 

 the top of the trench shall not be more than 

 two inches and a half high; this being a fair 

 criterion of the work being well done. Thus 

 a drain, or water-way, is formed in a stiff, clay 

 soil sub-stratum, out of the reach of the at- 

 mosphere, and secured on the top by a wedge 

 of clay, or other strong soil, rammed together 

 more firmly than it was in its original state. 

 In forming the junction of the smaller with 

 the main drains, the small blocks should be 

 placed close against the large ones, and both 

 should be rammed together at the junction ; 

 and then they may be withdrawn, to continue 

 the drains as above directed. 



A gentleman in Gloucester, England, who 

 has executed more than three hundred miles 

 in extent of these drains, within the last four 

 years, declares that the whole charge does 

 not, in ordinary cases, amount to two and a 

 half cents a yard ; the digging only, being in 



many places sixteen cents for eighteen feet 

 in length, depending, however, on the nature 

 of the sub-soil, and the depth of the drain. 

 Mr. Osborne also states, in the Bath and west 

 of England papers, that he has thus drained 

 more than thirty thousand rods within the 

 last seven years, and has so much improved 

 his farm, that where green crops formerly 

 rotted upon the ground, he now feeds eight 

 hundred sheep on turnips throughout the win- 

 ter. Mr. Drew states that he has these drains 

 cut and finished for five and six cents per rod, 

 opening the drain, for the workmen, by two 

 deep furrows with the plough. 



Now how many thousand acres of wet land, 

 at present not only unprofitable, but ruinous 

 to the health of our cattle and sheep, might 

 thus be drained at a comparatively trifling 

 expense, the whole cost often being defrayed 

 by the increase of the first crop, and a tenfold 

 advantage derived in following years, in the 

 saving of manure and lime, which would 

 operate in that degree more advantageously 

 by the land being laid dry and healthy. 



Johnson Smithebs. 



Delaware State. 



Choice of Stock. 



Does it not often happen, that farmers are 

 deceived in the choice of stock 1 Is not an 

 animal sometimes selected, perhaps at a high 

 price, for its mere beauty, without sufficient 

 regard being paid to its adaptation to the par- 

 ticular use for which it is designed "? A good 

 appearance is by no means to be despised, 

 even with an eye to profit ; but real beauty 

 is frequently dependent upon fitness. Now 

 there are many very beautiful cattle, pur- 

 chased, too, at enormous prices, that, except 

 to please the eye, are far inferior to many 

 lower-priced, and greatly despised, because 

 ignobly born animals. The truth is, cattle 

 are considered valuable, some for the sham- 

 bles, and some for the pail; and as almost 

 opposite qualities are required in the one and 

 the other, they should be examined, and 

 chosen with special reference to the purpose 

 designed. A person desirous of purchasing 

 a good milk-cow, applied to a conscientious 

 and upright man who had such a one to dis- 

 pose of. He stated that he had a young 

 milk-cow, of noble blood, and beautiful ap- 

 pearance, which could be purchased at a high 

 price, and the only earthly objection to her 

 as a milk-cow was, that she gave very little 

 milk; and what she did give, was rather in- 

 different ! It is probable that there is other 

 stock in the market, at the present time, but 

 not so honestly described : " all is not gold 

 that glitters." — South. Plant, 



