386 



FARMERS' REGISTER— DRAINING. 



draw off all the standing water. But as soon as 

 the land is tit to receive good ploughing, (which 

 will be by the beginning of the next course of 

 crops,) a broad land as directed before should be 

 marked oflf, taking tlie ditch as its middle, and 

 ploughed out. Tlie closing furrows will be pro- 

 bably as low as the bottom of the old ditch, and 

 sweep away all appearance of it, and leave it pas- 

 sable by ploughs and carls, though more servicea- 

 ble than when it was a barrier to the passage of 

 both. In short, in all situations of this kind, the 

 plough seems to efface theditches, while it renders 

 them most elBcient. The superiority of these 

 drains, in cheapness and efficiency, to tliose cut in 

 the best manner by the spade, may be easily con- 

 ceived, by supposing a piece of flat and wet soil to 

 be thrown into wide and high beds with clean 

 deep water furrows, in tiie usual manner, by the 

 plough — and compared with similar lands plough- 

 ed level, and then divided into beds by narrow 

 trenches being dug between with spades. Every 

 piece of well bedded flat land has in every water 

 furrow such a drain as I have recommended. 



In bedded level land, there will be many slight 

 depressions, which even when so shallow as to be 

 scarcely perceptible, will hold water after heavy 

 rains, and destroy the growth of winter crops. If 

 the beds prevent the opening of drains across en- 

 tirely by the plough, at least it may commence 

 and forward the spade work for these places. — 

 These grips (as such temporary drains are called) 

 should be opened only a little deeper than the wa- 

 ter furrows which cross them, as soon as the field is 

 sowed in wheat. They may be quite elTectual as 

 drains, without being wide or deep enough to ob- 

 struct the future ploughing of the field. 



The next kind of ditches are carriers of streams, 

 and serve to drain the adjacent land by sinking the 

 level of the stream in ordinary times, and more or 

 less preventing its overflowin;j its margins, when 

 swollen by rains. These ditches are required in 

 almost every alluvial bottom, formed by, and sub- 

 ject to the inundations of streams passing through : 

 unless the body of water is too great to be managea- 

 ble by such means. 



The streams in lower Virginia may be divided 

 into two kinds : 1st. Such as have so little fall in 

 their course, as to form swamps, by overflowing, 

 or at least saturating with water all the lov/- 

 grounds during the winter and wet seasons, and 

 thus making the land a v/orthless quagmire at all 

 times. 2d. ^uch as have enough fall to leave the 

 lowground firm and even dry, in ordinary times, 

 except where injured by springs, or other water 

 than that conveyed by the main stream. 



The first class of streams are much the most 

 important, on account of the many extensive bo- 

 dies of swamp land which remain not only worth- 

 less, but nuisances in several respects, and particu- 

 larly as nurseries of disease ; though no lands are 

 richer, or could be brought into profitable use and 

 cultivation, so easily andche;iply, compared to the 

 great gain that would be obtained. Still, it will be 

 unnecessary for me to treat on this branch of drain- 

 ing at length. In this point only, there is nothing 

 to object toasflmlty in the practice of individuals — 

 for our laws (indirectly but effectually) forbid all 

 such extensive drainings — and thus, our govern- 

 rnent shows a degree of negligence or stupidity — 

 (it deserves no milder name — ) which surpasses all 

 of which evidence can be found in individual ope- 



rations. When our country was first settled, it 

 seems probable that these swamps were compara- 

 tively dry, and the streams unobstructed, except 

 by the dams constructed by beavers. But every 

 operation of our civilized population has served 

 still more to raise, obstruct, and stagnate the wa- 

 ters. The only profit yet drawn from the swamps, 

 has been by getting lumber from the large cy- 

 presses and other timber trees. In cutting down 

 these trees, their tops are very often thrown into 

 the course of the stream, where each serves to 

 catch all the leaves and oilier floating rubbish, un- 

 til it forms a dam, and raises, and often diverts the 

 stream, to a new bed. The current is at no time 

 sufficiently strong to remove such obstructions, 

 although it may be spread over a flat of half a 

 mile in width — and every one remains, until co- 

 vered over with a deposile of mud. The law per- 

 mits any landowner to add to these obstructions at 

 his will — but (in effect) refuses the right to use 

 the only means for bringing into profitable culture 

 these great tracts of rich land, and of restoring 

 health to the neighboring farms, which they now 

 infect with bilious diseases. 



Notwithstanding the great extent of overflow- 

 ing waters on these flat swamps, the supply is 

 much smaller than it appears, and they could be 

 removed and kept within safe bounds by opening a 

 canal from the outlet below, through the whole 

 course of the swamp, as straight as the form and 

 inclination of the land would permit. Level as 

 such swamps are, there is plenty of fall for this 

 purpose — anda ditch of lOor 12 feet wide and 3 or 

 4 deep, would drain away the water which as now 

 obstructed, inundates many thousands of acres. 

 The expense of this central main carrier would be 

 very inconsiderable, divided among all the owners 

 of a large swamp ; and when finished, nothing 

 more would be wanting to make the land dry, ex- 

 cept the small side drains to intercept the springs 

 coming out of the highland, which each proprietor 

 would dig for himself. The central canal being so 

 nearly level might possibly be made also servicea- 

 ble for winter navigation, by having temporary 

 floodgates. 



But cheap and profitable as such drainings would 

 be, they are rendered impossible under our exist- 

 ing hnvs, because the concurrence of every indi- 

 vidual owner of the swamp is necessary for the exe- 

 cution of the work. Blackwater Swamp (for ex- 

 ample) is more than 60 miles long, including all its 

 branches, and perhaps belongs to more than thrice 

 as many individuals — and it is manifest, that from 

 such a number, no such concurrence can possibly 

 be expected, even if there were among them no 

 minors, or life estate holders, neither of whom can 

 legally concur. If by possibility, only a single 

 proprietor opposed the scheme, while all the others 

 were in favor of it, he alone might obstruct the 

 execution. Nor is there any remedy to be soon 

 expected. If three out of every four of the pro- 

 prietors of any of these swamps were to be awa- 

 kened to the importance and profit of such a ge- 

 neral plan of drainage, (and I am sorry to confess 

 that such is far from being the case,) and were to 

 petition the Assembly for powers to make it, and 

 to compel all to bear their share of the cost, the 

 proposition would excite violent objections, and 

 perliaps intolerant and unappeasable enmity to the 

 scheme. Every small lawyer, in and out of the 

 legislature, would be furnished withamost conve- 



