AND JI O R T I (' U L T U R A L REGISTER. 



rUULISHEX) BY JOSKPH BRECK i CO., NO. sa NOUTH MAllKKT STRKKT, (Aoricultubai WAii«noui«.)-AT.f,K.\ PUTNAM, EDITOR. 



Dl.. XX.] 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 8, 1841. 



[KO. 10. 



N. E. FARMER, 



From Kcsacnileo'ii Coinplcio Farmer. 



DRAINS. 



Drains used in fanning arc of two kinds, open 

 d covered. Drains should be ol'a sizo and dcplli 

 oportioDod to the extent ot' the swamp and the 

 obnble quantity of water for which ihey arc dc- 

 ;noJ to be channels. They should generally be 

 mod through the lowest and wettest part of the 

 1, although it should be necessary, in order to 

 ect that purpose, to deviate from straight lines. 

 en drains answer the double purpose of convey- 

 J olT superfluous water and of enclosing tields ; but 

 y make a hazardous and inconvenient fence 

 thout the addition of a bank, hedge or railing. 

 e Farmer's Assistant says, " Wlien a ditch is 

 de for a fence, it ought to bo four feet wide at 

 ! lop, one or less at the bottom, and about two 

 1 a half deep ; with the earth all thrown out on 

 sside, and banked up as high as possible." Sir 

 Sinclair states, tliat " it is a general rule re- 

 rding open drains, with a view of giving sufficient 

 pe and stability to their sides, that the width at 



should be three times as much as that wliich is 

 essary at the bottom, and in the case of peat 

 sses or sofl soils, it should be such as to allow 



water to run off without stagnation, but not 

 h so rapid a motion as to injure the bottom." 

 But before you attempt to drain a piece of land, 



ill be well not only to calculate the cost, but to 

 ertain the nature of the soil which it is propo- 



lo render fit for cultivation. If the subsoil or 

 ler layer be clay, the swamp may be wortii 

 ining, though there should be no more than six 

 hes of black soil or mud oTcr it, for the clay 



the mud mixed will make a fertile soil. But 

 he subsoil or under stratum be gravel or white 



nd, it will not, in common cases, be best to un- 

 take draining, unless the depth of black mud be 

 much as from fifteen to eigliteen inches deep; 

 the soil will settle after draining, and be less 

 p than it was before. But the situation of the 

 d to be drained may autiiorizo some variation 

 n these general rules. 



riie manner of draining a swamp is as follows: 

 nning at the outlet, pass a large ditch through 

 so as mostly to cut the lowest parts. Then 



e another ditch quite round it, near to the bor- 



to cut off the springs which come from the up- 

 i, and to receive the water that runs down from 



hills upon the surface in great rains. These 

 hes should be larger or smaller, in some pro- 

 :ion to the size of the swamp, the shape and 



of the hills which surround it, and oUier cir- 

 istinces which might tend to greater or less 

 ntities of water being occasionally or generally 



into the ditrhes. If the swamp be lorge, it 

 ! be necessary that some smaller cross drains 

 uld be cut in several directions. The bottom 

 he main ditches, when the soil is not of an ex- 

 irdinary depth, must be lower than the bottom 

 he loose soil ; otherwise the soil will never b«- 

 le sufficiently dry and firm. 



It is said by Sir John Sinclair, (Codo of Agricul- 

 ture, p. \6'i,) that "in nil drains it is a rule to be- 

 g n at the lowest placo and to work upwards, by 

 I hich the water will always pass from the work- 

 men and point out the level. This enables tlie la- 

 borers also to work in coarse weather, and prevents 

 their baing interrupted by wet so early in ttic sea- 

 son as otherwise might happen." 



Tho mud ami other niBlcrials which arc dug out 

 of a ditch or drain, should not be sufTorcd to lio in 

 hea|i8 or banks by the side of the ditch, but should 

 be spread as equally as possible over the surface 

 of the drained land. In this way, the matter ta- 

 ken from the ditches will tend to level the surface 

 of the swamp, will, perluips, servo iu some mea- 

 sure for manure, and will not present any impedi- 

 ment to the passage of the water to the ditches. — 

 In some cases it may be advisable to transport the 

 earth which is taken from the ditches to the farm- 

 yard or the hog. pen, to form a part of that layer 

 which good farmers generally spread over those 

 places in autumn, to imbibe liquid manure, or make 

 into compost with dung. In many instances, we 

 are told, that the earth thus dug out of ditches is 

 thought to be worth enough to pay for the expense 

 of digging the ditches. 



Air Henry W. Delavan, in a communication on 

 the subject of Under-draining, in the New England 

 Farmer, vol. x. p. 97, says: 



" Without this salutary and simple operation, no 

 inconsiderable proportion of many valuable districts 

 of our country must continue little better than 

 waste. It is generally total loss of labor to the 

 farmer who attempts to cultivate wet lands in our 

 rigorous climate, and by draining, these useless, 

 inhospitable acres have been found of the kindliest 

 and most productive character. 



" Having a surplus of stones on my estate be- 

 yond what fences require, I use the smaller and in- 

 formed for drains; they have the advantage of 

 brush in durability and of tiles in economy. My 

 drains are, for the most part, three feet in depth, 

 two feet in width at top, sloping to one at bottom. 

 The bottom stones are largest, and are carefully 

 placed, to allow the water to flow freely beneath, 

 while above the small stones are thrown in at ran- 

 dom, so that when levelled they arc beneath the 

 plow. Over tliese, swingle-tow, shavings or straw 

 may be thrown, after which tho earth can be re- 

 placed by the spade or plow, so as to present a rath- 

 er higher surface than the grounds adjacent, and 

 tho business is accomplished. It is very essential 

 that the descent be easy, neither too quick nor too 

 slow, and that all surface water bo excluded, as it 

 would speedily choke and destroy the underdraining. 

 I estimate the average cost of such drains at sixty- 

 two and a half cents the rod. It should he remark- 

 ed that underdraining is adapted to lands present- 

 ing sufficient declivity to carry offthe springs, and 

 it is only tho under water that is meant to be drain- 

 ed in this manner, while open ditches are adapted 

 to the bottom lands for the conveyance of surface 

 water. 1 will state what appears to me the promi- 

 nent advantages that the cultivator may promise 

 himself by a thorough system of draining. 



" In tho first place, he creates, as it were, ."o 

 much additional terra firma, and adds essentially lo 

 the health of all around him, by correcting the ill 

 tendencies of excessive moisture. He can culti- 

 vate reclaimed lands several weeks earlier and ns 

 much later in each year than those that aro unre- 

 claimed, and his crops are better and mote sure. 

 The labor of afler tillage is much diminished. Tho 

 stones iliat impede the plow and scythe are rt-uiov. 

 ed ; and not the least e.-isontial benefit is the con- 

 stant supplies of water which may bo insured in 

 any field inclining to moisture, which, with refe- 

 rence to animals, will, as a perninnent convenience 

 and advantage, fully compensate the expense of 

 <lrains." 



1 the Farmer's Cabinet. 



BAKEWELL .AND MERINO SIIEEC. 



Mr Euitor — In John Lawrence's valuable trea- 

 tise on Cattle, there is a highly interesting account 

 of a cross between the pure Merinos and tho Biike- 

 well breed of sheep, which appears worthy our se- 

 rious regard. It is now pretty generally conceded 

 tliat the grand secret in crossing is to conmienco 

 with dam the best; and amongst breeders in Eu- 

 roj)C, more care is observed in the selection of the 

 male, as to form and constitution, than to size ; in- 

 deed, a proference is give for a small male rather 

 than a large one, compared with the size of tiie fe- 

 male. Amongst the breeders of pure Devon cat- 

 tla, but little regard is had to tho size of the bull : 

 his points and purity of blood are the objects for 

 which they seek, in rearing largo oxen ; always 

 choosing, as a matter of the first importance, a co'r 

 of large size and capacity for breeding. 



At page 5'Jl of Lawrence's Treatise, it is said, 

 (quoted from Thompson,) "Mr Hose, a considera- 

 ble grazier at Melton Mowbray, has crossed sevc. 

 ral of his Bakowell or Dishley ewes with a Merino- 

 ram, with decisive success : I lately requested this 

 gentleman to send mo a few fleeces of the wool, 

 which 1 put into the hands of Mr Hawkslcv, in- 

 quiring what was the present value of such wool.' 

 His answer was, "We will give eighteen pence- 

 per pound for two thousand packages tomorrow, 

 and take one hundred packages weekly, by con- 

 tract, at tho same price, for seven years, certain."' 

 Now this price is nearly twice as much as can at 

 present be obtained for pure Bakewell wool, and 

 these sheep produce little more than the Merino- 

 Dishlcys, for although the Merino shortens the sta- 

 ple, he thickens the pile, so that every fleece is 

 nearly double in value. The loss that we aro to 

 look for then, is in the carcass, and this is infinite- 

 ly less than will at first be supposed; it seems, in- 

 deed, to bo now very generally agreed, that in 

 sheep the sire operates principally on the fleece 

 and the dam on the carcass, which is illustrated by 

 Mr Hose's Merino-Dishleys, they being superior in 

 form to any that I ever saw with Spanish blood in 

 their veins, and having lost little, if any, in size. 

 Many Bakewell breeders have their whole of one, 

 two, and three years on hand, whereas Mr llawks- 



