AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



N. E. FARMER. 



IMPROVED AGRICULTURE. 

 At the late meeting at Bristol of the . British 

 Royal Agricultural Society, Mr Smith, of Dcari- 

 ston, the author, as he may be called, of the Im- 

 proved Systfui of Thorough Draining and Subsoil 

 Plowing, was called upon to explain at large, his 

 views and practice in a public lecture. This was 

 done without writing, and has been reported at 

 large in the agricultural pre.ss. Wo have con- 

 densed it from the Mark Lane Express, but have 

 taken care to omit nothing that is essential to a full 

 understanding of the subject. It is full of impor- 

 tant matter, and will be read by every intelligent 

 farmer with the deepest interest. The results of 

 this system are beneficial in the most extraordinary 

 degree, and bid fair almost to revolutionize the 

 husbandry of Great Britain. — Gentsee Far. 



LECTURE BY MR SMITH. OP DEANSTON, 



ON DRAINAGE. 

 Delivered bifore the Members of ike Roynl Agricul- 

 tural Society, at Bristol, July IS, 184 i. 



After apologizing for the alteration of the time 

 of lecturing, Mr Smith proceeded: 



The dryness of land is of great importance : in 

 fact, the dry condition of the soil is the foundation 

 of all good husbandry. It is beneficial to the 

 working of the soil ; to the after growth of plants. 

 There is scarcely any labor of agriculture which is 

 not facilitated by the dryness of the soil. If we 

 find a tree stronger than his neighbor, we shall 

 find that there the soil is deep and in a dry condi- 

 tion. If we see a stronger and darker colored 

 herbage growing on the hill side, there the soil 

 will be found deep, and in a dry condition. There 

 is not one of the various soils of the United King- 

 dom which will not be much improved by being 

 placed in a dry condition, if they are not so by na- 

 ture. Even on a subsoil of gravel or sand, the in- 

 troduction of the thorough-drain system would be 

 beneficial ; but as there is only a small portion of 

 that sort of soil in this country, the greater part 

 being super-imptsed upon a wet soil, it becomes of 

 the first importance to improvement in agriculture 

 that means be taken to render the soil dry. Many 

 attempts have been made with that view, but until 

 the introduction of the thorough. drain system, there 

 was nut the power of draining land, on whatever 

 Bubsoil resting, and rendering it completely dry. 

 The purpose of this lecture is to illustrate the prin- 

 ciples on which this system acts ; then, to show 

 the advantages in carrying on the difl^erent proces- 

 ses with respect to the various crops ; and then to 

 explain the modes employed to render this drain- 

 age effective. 



[Mr Smith here illustrated by a diagram, his 

 method of thorough-draining ; the soil, the subsoil, 

 the drains, &c., being represented.] 



In referring to two lines, representing the direc- 

 tion of drains, he had drawn one at a greater in- 

 clination than the other, to show the advantage of 

 making the drains deeper than they generally were. 



The prevailing practice was to make the drains 

 two feet deep, but he preferred an additional six 

 inches — it was of great importance to allow the 

 water to go off as quickly as possible, and this ad- 

 vantage was secured by cutting the drain to a 

 greater declination. People suppose that at a 

 great depth water would not go off at all ; but this 

 was a mistake. Another advantage from a deep 

 drain was, that it allowed the whole bank of soil to 

 become completely dry, and it consequently re- 

 quired a very heavy rain to wet it. The actitjn of 

 the atmosphere too, required to be taken into ac- 

 count. He would not enter upon the chemical 

 question, but it was well known that soils were 

 much improved by the action of the air, and this 

 advantage could only be secured after the water 

 was withdrawn. 



To render the field completely dry, a great num- 

 ber of drains should be cut, and they should be 

 laid off in parallel lines beginning at the highest 

 side of the field. This secures a thorough drying. 

 When the lines run parallel, much greater eflx-ct is 

 produced than when they are drawn across. When 

 drawn across, the drains may catch the water, but 

 it does not run oflf so readily. 



The distance at which the drains should be 

 placed, will depend on tne soil. If the field has 

 been subsoiled, the plow will form artificial chan- 

 nela in the soil below. If it is a stiff soil, it will 

 keep long upon the surface: the more free the 

 soil is, the greater tendency it has to allow the 

 water to pass ; so that on a stiff soil, such as the 

 stiflfer clays, taking into account tho nature of the 

 subsoil and the soil itself, about the same drain 

 will serve on all soils. The distances are gene- 

 rally from 1.'5 to 20 feet: in some soils individuals 

 have put in the drains at Vi feet ; but that is, in 

 some degree, throwing away money. From obser- 

 vations which I have made myself on all sorts of 

 soil, I recominend about 16 to 20 feet as the dis- 

 tance from one drain to the other. 



The way I usually proceed in draining is, first 

 to find a good bottom-level to run the drain into. 

 In some parts of the country there is difficulty in 

 getting an open level to carry off the whole water 

 of the district ; but by a proper engineering it may 

 be accomplished in most situations; because it is 

 found that if proper channels are executed, a lar- 

 ger quantify of water will be discharged with a 

 very small fall. In an endeavor to carry off water, 

 1 found that in a drop of four inches in a mile, 30 

 feet wide and 6 feet deep, I could discharge 300 

 tons of water per minute ; which is much more 

 than would fall in a very extensive district indeed. 

 So that if means be taken to carry off the main 

 level, a fall may be had. 



I should make the great main drain, if possible, 

 about four feet deep — three feet six inches will do ; 

 but in order to have a drop from the one drain into 

 the other, I make the main drain four feet deep, 

 the receiving drain three feet deep, and the paral- 

 lel drains two feet six inches. When there is any 

 rise in the ground, or any hollows over which the 

 water cannot very well flow, it is necessary to make 



a cad's drain. That should be made about six in- 

 ches deeper than the other drains which fall into it ; 

 then running on, it discharges itself into the main 

 drain. 



As to the manner of executing the drains, vari- 

 ous modes are recommended, and on looking to 

 land which has been drained a great many years, 

 where the draining has been performed carefully, 

 all the different modes employed for the purpose of 

 keeping the drains open, have been effective. A 

 great deal of the want of effect in the duration of 

 drains, has been owing to bad execution. In some 

 instances fagots have been introduced for the pur- 

 pose of preserving the openings of the drain, and 

 these have been found to continue and to preserve 

 the openings in a perfect state for nine — in some 

 instances, for twenty years. 



In Scotland, the peat-top is frequently used to 

 form the tiles for drains. It does well in clays 

 which are pretty stiff, but not so well in softer soils. 

 In some sandy soils, the sides not being sufficient 

 to resist the pressure of the top, the tile gradually 

 sinks down and closes up the drain. 



Another mode of filling drains is by stones 

 broken into the usual size for making road.s. Much 

 has been said against the use of this sort of filling, 

 but when properly executed, the work is as dura- 

 ble as can be required. Where stone can be had, 

 and tiles are expensive, I should prefer it to the 

 tiles ; it prevents any vermin from travelling in the 

 openings of the drain, such as rats and mice, which 

 do a great deal of mischief The great point is, 

 to be careful in covering over at the tops. As 

 soon as wet comes, the sand and other materials 

 sifts down into the stones, and they are choked up. 

 I have found drains carefully executed, completely 

 destroyed in the course of a couple of years. If 

 drains are so packed that the water falls down on 

 both sides, the parts overlapping each other, there 

 is no opening whatever for the sand to find its way 

 down. If drains are carefully cleared in this man- 

 ner, I will warrant their duration for almost any 

 period of time. I have executed myself about 1.30 

 miles of drain in this way, and have had them all 

 filled with stones ; many of them have been done 

 15 years, and there has not been a single instance 

 of failure. 



A gentleman inquired the nature of the soil in 

 the case alluded to. 



Mr Smith replied, both on a gravel and clay 

 soil. Many persons have asked whether or not the 

 drains would be choked up in particular positions. 

 I have always asked them what position they re- 

 ferred to, and have opened it up that they may see ; 

 and in no instance have I found a single drain 

 choked up. I have the drains of 100 acres all dis- 

 charged into one pond, provided for the purpose of 

 seeing how much deposit came from the drain ; 

 and although we have had heavy rain, I have never 

 seen the water in the pond tinged as if there was 

 much soil in it. I can, therefore, safely recom- 

 mend stones as a sufficient drainage ; and in many 

 parts of the country it is much cheaper than tiles. 



The next filling used for preserving the opening 

 of drains, is the drain-tile. These are usually 



