12 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DRAINING. 



The question has often been advanced, and as 

 often responded to, in various forms, in the col- 

 umns of the Farmer and elsewhere, "What does 

 the agriculturist most essentially want in order to 

 promote the best interests of his vocation?" and it 

 ia a very frequent observation that he wants more 

 scientific knowledge, and better information as to 

 the best modes of farming, &c. But it appears to 

 me that a great many know a "leetle mite better" 

 about these things than they pretend. At any 

 rate, I think there are a great many of the agri- 

 cultural implements now in use, and some ways of 

 working, that "ca/i7 be beat;'''' as the old man said 

 when he pulled up a carrot. But then again, in 

 order to view the statute of truth with some cor- 

 rectness, we must walk all round it. On the oth- 

 er hand, there are some operations carried on in a 

 style that seems about as ridiculous as plowing 

 with the horses hauling by the tail. This is ap- 

 plicable, in most instances, to the system of 

 thorough draining which has come under observa- 

 tion ''Down East." Perhaps the method is a little 

 better " Out West,'' but 1 am inclined to believe 

 that you, too, want some modification in that 

 particular ; and as I have had some experience in 

 draining, I shall just lay before you some brief ob- 

 servations on the subject in my own blunt way. 



This very important and most essential opera- 

 tion has been carried on to some extent by the 

 farmers around the suburbs of the little city of 

 Calais, Me., and St.Stephens,N.B., and an outline 

 of the drains there will serve as a description of 

 most I have seen in other parts of the country. 

 They are opened about 3i feet wide at the top, 

 and vary in width at the bottom, from 2 or 2i feet 

 to 1 foot,and are from 2i toS^ feet in depth, being 

 from two rods to a greater distance apart. They 

 are filled with stones to within a foot or 15 inch- 

 es of the surface, for the most part, some with cul- 

 verting and some without. The large drains are 

 calculated as receptacles for the muckle stanes. Now 

 I predict that drains of this description will not be 

 long in getting choked up, and will ultimately be- 

 come of little service in any country, particularly 

 in these parts, where the action of the frost is so 

 penetrating, and renders the soil of a pliable tex- 

 ture, so that it is easily washed away or run down 

 when a heavy rain-storm descends. 



Vermin are also most likely to seek a rendez- 

 vous in such drains, making holes from the surface 

 down to the stones, which gives the water a great- 

 er chance for the work of destruction, and besides 

 they are far more expensive than drains of a more 

 serviceable and permanent nature. 



When drains are intended to be filled with 

 stones, they ought to be ruled or lined on the 

 surface not more than 15 inches wide, and dug 

 out to the depth of three feet. The bottom and 

 side should be left as clean as the nature of the 

 ground will admit, and then filled with clean small 

 cobble-stones to the depth of not more than 12 

 inches, with a neat small culvert. They should 

 be nicely levelled on the top, and have a covering 

 of straw or bush, then be tilled in as soon after as 

 possible. Drains of this description will answer the 

 purpose in most land, 3G feet apart. The leading 

 or main drains will require to be proportionate in 

 their dimensions and construction to the extent oi 



their tributaries, or of the run of water that may 

 be expected to flow into them. They should in 

 all cases, however, be not less than three inches 

 deeper than the others. 



Drains 18 feet apart, and 27 inches deep, taken 

 out in the bottom with a narrow spade, and 

 cleaned as for tile, with six inches of beach or small 

 stones, will answer ; but when tile can be procured 

 at a reasonable rate, they are superior to stones or 

 anything else. The best kind of tile for tributaries, 

 are those oT a semi-circular form, 4 inches wide 

 and 14 inches long, open en the base. It has been 

 recommended that they should be perforated with 

 holes to admit the water; but they should have no 

 holes ; they are better without them, and the clos- 

 er they can be laid to each other the better. Soles 

 in all cases should be dispensed with except in soft 

 places, where they are absolutely necessary. Tiles 

 cannot be laid so snugly on soles, besides, they arc 

 apt to be shifted or misplaced, or even broken by 

 any pressure from above. The best covering above 

 them is the top soil free from stones. A little 

 straw might be used, but any stone or bush is apt 

 to do more harm than good. There are many far- 

 mers who think that they must make a chance for 

 the surface water to get in, but there is a great 

 mistake in this matter. The surface water "7»'ill 

 get in fast enough. It must be borne in rhind that 

 plants derive most of their nourishment from water, 

 even more than is generally supposed. This has 

 been clearly demonstrated by placing a vessel filled 

 with earth away from the surface of the ground, 

 and raising a plant in it by watering it. The 

 plant when grown may be as heavy as the whole 

 earth in which it was raised ; and yet it is found 

 on being removed that the earth will weigh as 

 heavy as when first put in. The conclusion is that 

 the plant has received the elements of its con- 

 struction from the water and the atmosphere. 



Accordingly when the water is admitted too 

 freely, besides being injurious to the drain, it may 

 run off without leaving its fertilizing and nourish- 

 ing elements in the soil. 



Again, it has been doubted by some whether a 

 great portion of the high land in these parts can 

 be benefited by draining. They allege that it is 

 already too dry, &c; but it should be borne in mind 

 that drying is not the only object to be attained by 

 draining. 1 have seen even comparatively dry land 

 materially benefited thereby, so much so, indeed, 

 that the crops on it were far less liable to be in- 

 jured by the drought than before. Why, sir, there 

 are some of the best farmers \n Scotland, bo en- 

 thusiastic in this, that they have the tiles plas- 

 tered up at the joining with wrought clay, and that 

 even when the drains are 3 feet deep, to prevent 

 the water from getting in too fast. 



But again I would say, let those who have any 

 doubt about the accuracy or gospel of these state- 

 ments, or I would invite any one, to put the thing 

 to the test by actual experiment. Let them try 

 the garden. Let them open the drains, 27 inches 

 deep and 18 feet apart, or from that to 36 inches 

 deep and 30 feet apart, according as they think 

 will best suit the nature of the ground ; and as the 

 price of tiles, (according to the advertisements 

 which have appeared in your journal) is beyond 

 the reach of farmers of common means, let a suit- 

 able conduit be made, of some wooden construc- 

 tion. Wood will last a long time in a drain, cer- 

 tain kinds of it at least. There are some parts in 



