388 



FARMERS' REGISTER— DRAINING. 



rats and other vermin — or to be kept cleared at 

 more than twice the cost of proper cultivation. If 

 the stream separates the lands of two proprietors, 

 (as is one of our common follies,) the evil is far 

 worse. If either cleans his margin effectually, 

 and opens the stream, it will avail but little, while 

 his neighbor uses no such care. In the meantime, 

 with every heavy rain the obstructed current 

 sweeps across the land, tearing away the ploughed 

 mould, or covering it with its load of sand. The 

 soil thus swept off serves to fill and render useless 

 the cross drains made to convey the smaller 

 streams. Every such flood saturates the soil with 

 water to the great damage of the crop, and leaves 

 the whole a picture of desolation. 



Next let us examine the side, and cross ditches. 

 In hilly and sandy lands, small springs ooze out of 

 the hills .so frequently along the side of the low- 

 ground, that tliere is almost always a necessity for 

 a ditch on each side, to intercept them. The side 

 ditches (unless they are covered or hollow drains, 

 which will be treated of hereafter,) if bordered by 

 cultivated land, are perpetually filling from the 

 washing hillside soil : and the difficulty of keeping 

 them open is still more increased, where they cross 

 the points of sand brought down by former cur- 

 rents, and which are still increasing from every 

 torrent of rain water. It is not strange, therefore, 

 that the side ditches are seldom clean ; and though 

 they obstruct, they seldom entirely prevent the 

 oozing waters finding tlieir way to the lowground. 

 Where the valley is narrow, or the main stream 

 small, one of the side ditclies is often made also the 

 main carrier, or channel of the stream. This is a 

 great saving, if the ditch is straight enough, and 

 so situated in other respects as to be kept open, 

 and deep : But otherwise, the side of the low- 

 ground is the worst location for the main stream. 



Cross ditches are used to bring the water of a 

 side ditch to the main stream, when it can no 

 longer be continued down the side : or they lead 

 from low places which though not exposed to spring 

 water, would be made ponds by receiving the sur- 

 face water from rains and floods, and would remain 

 so until the water was soaked up by tlie absorbent 

 earth. The beds in which the land is cultivated 

 usually lead to these cross ditches, and their water 

 furrows there vent the water that collects in them. 

 As the cross ditches fill rapidly from the causes 

 already stated, their rei)eated cleanings soon make 

 a dike not only on one side, but on both, unless 

 more judgment is exercised than is common. 

 Then the ditch, when well open, may draw water 

 from its head to its outlet : but not a drop can en- 

 ter it along its whole course, so well is it defended 

 by the bank of eartli on eacli side. 

 Now for the rotation and culture. 

 Lands of this kind seldom form but a small por- 

 tion of a whole field, and are therefore not often 

 put under a different rotation. Say that it is the 

 common three shift rotation, or 1. corn— 2. wlieat — 

 3. at rest. When the winter comes preceding the 

 year for corn, the land has been two years with- 

 out a ditch being cleaned out : and if grazed, the 

 treading of cattle and rooting of hogs, have been, 

 aiding greatly to fill them up. If not grazed, the 

 richness and wet state of the land have made it a 

 wilderness of weeds and rubbish growth of all 

 kinds. In the latter case, ditching in autumn 

 would be almost impossible ; but even if kept bare 

 enough by grazing, no farmer has leisure for a 



heavy job of ditching before winter. At all 

 events, it is never done. The land treated as I 

 have stated is almost as wet as if no draining had 

 ever been done — nay, it is often much the wetter 

 for the work miscalled draining. But little of 

 wet ditching can be done in cold weather : so it is 

 in March, before the old drains are opened. Still 

 the land is very wet from having remained so long 

 water soaked — and it is ploughed before it is dry 

 enough, because the season is too much advanced 

 to wait longer. Under such circumstances the 

 land cannot produce near a full crop, even if the 

 draining was then perfect, and continued effectual 

 for the remainder of the year. During the follow- 

 ing crop of wheat, the drains are filling, and sel- 

 dom opened, and during the year of rest afterwards, 

 the fiirmer water soaked condition of the land is 

 completely brought back. 



This picture docs not in every particular apply 

 to all such lands, even when most badly managed : 

 but some of the traits will suit all, not excepting 

 some in the hands of the best farmers : for in the 

 management of lowground especially, we often 

 want the means to perform what our judgment 

 directs should be done. For example — who is 

 there who does not pronounce, when ditching in 

 .March, that he ought to have done the work in 

 September.'' and who is there who profits by his 

 own opinion and experience, so as to avoid the 

 same error in future.'' 



I now proceed to propose plans for draining and 

 cultivating soils of tliis kind, all of which I have 

 tried with success to such extent as was permitted 

 by the situation of the land in my possession, and 

 the circumstances under Avhich it was placed. 



It will perhaps be more plain to apply instruc- 

 tions to a particular case of common occurrence, 

 than to attempt to embrace every variety of cir- 

 cumstance and difficulty. For this purpose, sup- 

 pose the land under consideration to vary from 

 100 to 150 yards wide, the alluvial formation of a 

 stream strong enough to turn a common mill, and 

 which flows through in a very crooked channel in 

 ordinary, and commonly overflows the whole 

 bottom w ith every very heavy rain, or perhaps 

 two or three times a year. The average descent of 

 the stream and the land, from six to fifteen feet 

 in a mile. The soil a rich sandy loam. Subsoil 

 various : sometimes layers of sand within reach 

 of deep ploughing, sometimes of day, and some- 

 times (though rarely) the rich black surface soil 

 shows no change for several feet in depth. We 

 suppose flirt her that the land has been cleared and 

 cultivated long enough to give the plough gene- 

 rally a free passage. 



Lowgrounds of the kind under consideration are 

 in general more exposed to water from numerous 

 springs oozing out of the adjoining highland, than 

 from the main stream^and therefore the removal 

 of the former first demands the farmer's care. But 

 neither the side, central, or cross drains can be 

 finished, before the other kinds are in progress — 

 and it will suit my arrangement best to speak 

 first of the ditch or carrier of the main stream. 

 The side drains require most skill and care, and 

 their consideration will hereafter be undertaken. 

 For the present, let it be understood that the side 

 and cross drains are in the usual imperfect state of 

 operation, serving to permit the imperfect culti- 

 vation of the lowground. 

 The great object is to give the main stream the 



