86 



®l)e farmer's ittonthlij bisitor. 



been known. As might be expected, the health 

 of sheep and cattle has been benefited by dram- 

 age to an equal or greater degree than that of 

 the human race. C. VV. Johnston states that the 

 rural population of drained districts in England, 

 have often remarked the favorable effects ol 

 drainage on the health and improvement ol ani- 

 mals, by which losses of stock have been pre- 

 vented to a great extent. 



There is no insuperable obstacle to the drain- 

 age of those sections of this country which have 

 heretofore heen so subject to particular diseases. 

 A gentleman of great experience in draining, 

 states that drains will draw effectively, if proper- 

 ly made, where there is a descent of oidy four 

 inches to the mile. There are few cases where 

 a much greater fall cannot be had. How im- 

 mense would be the benefits which would fol- 

 low from the adoption of n thorough system of 

 draining, in those sections! 



Modes of forming drains -Drains have been 

 made in various ways. In clayey soils they have 

 been formed by digging a trench to the required 

 depth, and then placing a block of wood four 

 inches square in the bottom, around which the 

 soil is rammed hard- the timber being then 

 drawn along, and the same operation repealed. 

 The subsequent contraction of the clay allows 

 the water to enter the cavity thus formed. Such 

 drains operate well for a time, but are not proba- 

 bly, very lasting. 



Stones have long been used for the construc- 

 tion of drains. They are made both with and 

 without an eye, or open space, and if rightly 

 constructed, are considered as efficient as any. 

 It has heen found that small stones are best for 

 this purpose, and in England and Scotland they 

 are broken to about the size ordinarily used for 

 McAilam roads, or so small that they will pass 

 through a ring two and a-half inches in diame- 

 ter. Prof. Norton says— " The bottom of the 

 [stone] drain should be about six inches across, 

 and from six to eight inches in depth of these 

 sm«ll stones should be thrown in. Turfs cut 

 thin and very carefully so as exactly to fit, should 

 be laid nil the top, over-lapping each other, and 

 the earth rammed down hard, as the object is to 

 prevent entirely, the access of water from above ; 

 it should all filter in at the sides, for if it finds 

 an entrance at the top, sand and small stones 

 will wash down, and eventually choke the 



drain," 



But the principal operations of draining in 

 Britain, for the last few years, have been with 

 tiles made of clay, and burnt after the manner 

 of burning bricks. Th^se could he used with 

 more economy, especially in districts where 

 stones were scarce, the expense of transporting 

 the former, being much less. They have been 

 made of various forms. The curved or " horse- 

 shoe " shape was first adopted. The tiles were 

 made in leuglhs of fourteen to sixteen inches, 

 and three to four inches wide, with "soles" for 

 the tiles to rest on when laid in the drain. The 

 manner of making drains with these, has so fre- 

 quently been described in our pages, that no- 

 thing further seems necessary in regard to them. 

 Of late, another form, called "pipe" tile, has 

 been introduced. We have never seen any ol 

 this kind ; hut in regard to the manner of making 

 them, and their operation, we presume they can- 

 not be better described than in the language ol 

 Prof. Norton, who during his resilience in Eng- 

 lund and Scotland, made drainage a subject 

 of particular investigation. We copy from his 



lecture on draining, before referred to in this 

 article : 



" It is a simple round pipe, made in lengths 

 like the first and for the cross-drains of not more 

 than an inch and a-half in the diameter of the 

 bore. These can he made much cheaper than 

 the other kind, as they are smaller, and all m 

 one piece. They are not more than halt the 

 weight of the old-fashioned tile and sole, and 

 therefore an additional saving is effected on the 

 transportation. The trench for their reception 

 is also much smaller, being at the lop just wide 

 enough to allow the trencher to work, and cut 

 at the bottom with a narrow tool, to exactly 'In- 

 proper size fop the reception of the pipe. The 

 pieces are simply laid end to end, and wedged 

 with small stones when necessary. The water 

 finds its way ill at the joints. Many have ex- 

 pressed doubts as to the operation of these 

 drains, thinking that water would scarcely pene- 

 trate into so small a channel, through such mi- 

 nute apertures. No difficulty has been experi- 

 enced in any case. One gentleman, residing in 

 the south of England, who has employed these 

 small pipe tiles in draining exceedingly stiff 

 clays, laying them at the depth of three feet, and 

 ramming the clay hard down, offered a premium 

 of £100 io any person who would keep the wa- 

 ter out of them. These tiles, ot both varieties, 

 are made, by machinery. The clay is worked m 

 an ordinary pug mill, such as used in brick- 

 making, care being taken that no stones are pre- 

 sent ; it is Ihen forced through a die of a circu- 

 lar or horse-shoe shape, according to the kind ol 

 tile intended to be made. It passes through in 

 a continuous stream, which is cut off into the 

 proper lengths by hand, or by a little apparatus' 

 connected with the machine." 



It affords us pleasure to state that Hon. John 

 Delafield, of Oaklands Farm, near Geneva, (N. Y.) 

 has lately imported from England, one of the 

 most approved machines for making tiles. It 

 has received two prizes of £20 each, from the 

 Uoyal Agricultural Society, and the Highland 

 Society, as the best tile machine exhibited at 

 (heir shows. We have received from Mr. D. the 

 following remarks in reference to the machine : 

 "It was made by Sera gg, of Cheshire, Eng- 

 land. It is of the largest size and embraces eve- 

 ry improvement to the present lime. This ma- 

 chine works the clay and screens it, so as to re- 

 move all stones and other substances — it is then 

 carried forward by the machinery and passed 

 through dies of any required form or pattern, 

 and delivered at the end of the table, ready tor 

 the kiln. The dies which accompany the ma- 

 chine, will produce dram-pipes ol 1, 14, 2, 2£, 3, 

 5 and 6 inches bore. Horse-shoe tiles, rising 2A 

 and 4 inches, with soles to match the tiles — 

 semi-cylinders of 8 and II inches in diameter. 

 A pattern has also arrived lor a new form ol 

 pipe, with a foot attached. This is a new fea- 

 ture, and, as it seems, an improvement. The 

 machine is arranged also for making ridge tiles 

 and pan tiles for roofing. 



"As soon as the machine is put into work, 1 

 will send a specimen of each tile to the Agricul- 

 tural Rooms. It is probable that it may be in 

 operation by June, and then drain-tiles will be 

 furnished for not over ten dollars per 1000, and 

 I hope in good time to see iheiu delivered for a 

 less cost. We cannot form an accurate calcu- 

 lation, but we we are sure not to exceed ten dol- 

 lars per 1000. 



" I hope to cause the works to be erected close 

 to the canal, that a ready delivery may be made 

 to distant farmers. 



" In procuring this machine, I have been much 

 favored by the gentlemanly attentions of Mr. 

 John Girdwood, of Chirk Castle, Scotland, who 

 interested himself much and earnestly in the 

 erection of this particular kind, lam also under 

 obligations to Prof. Norton, who first brought 

 ibis machine into notice in this country in one 

 of his lectures, and through whom I received an 

 introduction to Mr. Girdwood." 



branches of the business become fully under- 

 stood and systematise!, the cost will be reduced. 

 But Mr. Johnston, near Geneva, whose draining 

 operations have been several times spoken of in 

 our pages, states that at the cost which he has 

 incurred, twenty-eight cents per rod, the in- 

 vestment is the most profitable he has made on 

 his farm. 



We are not prepared to lay down any definite 

 rules as to the distance apart which drains should 

 be laid. This must depend on the condition of 

 the land. In many fields, drains are only need- 

 ed in particular situations or wet spots, other 

 portions being sufficiently dry. Where the soil 

 is uniformly wet, or is generally injured by wa- 

 ter in the subsoil, the rule which is followed in 

 Britain will probably be found best, and that, ac- 

 cording to Prof Norton, is to lay the drains at 

 eighteen to twenty-four f el apart, which he says 

 will drain the stiffest and wellest land. 



The depth of drains, it is generally agreed, 

 should not be less than two and a-half feet. 

 They should be so deep that there is no danger 

 of their being effected by any operations on the 

 soil, either in using the common plough or the 

 subsoil plough. When the tiles are once laid, 

 anil ibe earth is properly fixed around them, they 

 should never be disturbed, except to remedy 

 some obstruction. 



As to the expense of drainage in this country, 

 no precise statements can at present be made. 

 When machines for making tiles shall have been 

 brought into full operation here, and all other 



Proper selection of Stock. — At a late agricultural 

 discussion in Derbyshire, Mr. G. Greaves re- 

 marked thai the choice of a breed of stock was 

 as important as the management. It seemed to 

 him thai enough attention was seldom paid to 

 the particular kind of produce it was intended 

 to obtain from slock. The same breed did not 

 answer for feeding and for the dairy too ; for the 

 early maturity of stock and the propensity to 

 fatten, were most observable when the genera- 

 live functions were not so perfect, whereas the 

 good milker was almost alwajs a goo I breeder. 

 For early feeding stock, it would always be ad- 

 vantageous to mix good nursing dams with sires 

 that bad a great tendency to fatten. He agreed 

 in the opinion that feeding slock should be kept 

 well when young; but calves intended for the 

 dairy, and ewe lambs for the breeding flock, 

 should not be made fat. 



Advantages of Agricultural Education. 



The following remarks are from the address 

 of L. F. Allen, late president of the New York 

 State Agricultural Society, before lhat associa- 

 tion : 



"Another, and a prominent advantage, which 

 we should receive from good agricultural educa- 

 tion, would be, that of more Stability of charac- 

 ter in our tanning population. It is proverbial 

 among travelled foreigners in this country, and it 

 would be a subject of wonder among our slaid 

 people at home — if an American could wonder 

 at any thing — lhat we are the most changing 

 people ill the world. We, as a population, have 

 few. scarce any, local attachments. This, to an 

 extent, is a true, although a severe censure. Jt 

 arises, no doubt, — and naturally enough loo, — 

 from the wide extent of national domain of 

 which we are the possessors, and from the natu- 

 ral sterility of much of the soil in our older 

 communities, which cause an effort, and a laud- 

 able one loo, to belter their condition in our ru- 

 ral population ; bin more, I imagine, from the 

 low standard of agricultural improvement, anil a 

 mistaken estimate of the value ol the soil, and 

 its application to the products which properly 

 hnlong to it. Bui no matter »hat the cause. 

 The fact is so, and it is a defect in our national 

 character. How many among us but will, with 

 a slightly tempting offer, sell his homestead 

 without remorse — break up the cherished asso- 

 ciations of his life — turn his back upon the 

 graves of his kindred and his children — his 

 birth-spot — the old hearth-stone of his boyhood 

 — his family altar — even the brave old trees, 

 which have, life-loug, waved their branches over 



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