DRE 



DIU 



before the share to cut tlic way. 

 Perpendicularly on each side two 

 coulters, c, are fixed, which cut in an 

 inclined direction to form the sides 

 of the drain : they can be set for any 

 required inclination. Tlie earth thus 

 cut is divided by the share, half being 

 forced up each side of the mould- 

 board as the plough advances. It 

 requires six to eight strong horses to 

 draw it. 



DRASTIC (from dpaariKoc, active). 

 Medicines which act violently. 



DRENCH. In farriery, a large 

 drink or draught of any liquid reme- 

 dy given to an animal, usually by 

 means of a horn properly cut for the 

 purpose. 



A drink is not so portable as a ball ; 

 it is more troublesome to give, and a 

 portion of it is usually wasted. Mr. 

 Stewart strenuously urges the follow- 

 ing propositions: 1. That draughts, 

 particularly when pungent or disa- 

 greeable, are dangerous. 2. That by 

 no care can the danger be altogether 

 avoided. 3. That no draught should 

 be given unless the horse be in dan- 

 ger of dying without it. 4. That the 

 safest way of administering draughts 



is to give them when the horse is ly- 

 ing. 5. That a draught is seldom or 

 never absolutely necessary but in dis- 

 eases that make the horse lie. 6. 

 That a bottle is a better drenching 

 instrument than a horn. 



DRESSING. In farriery, the ap- 

 plication of plasters, &c., to wounds. 

 The application of manure. 



DRILL. A long, straight line, in 

 which seeds or plants are set. Drill 

 husbandry is the cultivation of crops 

 in drills instead of broad-cast. 



DRILL MACHINES. Contrivan- 

 ces for the purpose of running a drill 

 furrow, depositing seed therein, and 

 covering it with earth. They are 

 simple — making one furrow only, for 

 beans, pease, &:c. — or compound, ma- 

 king many drills, for wheat, turnips, 

 &c. The principal difficulty in the 

 action of drills is the inequality of the 

 soil. Sometimes a contrivance for 

 the deposite of manures is added to 

 the machine, which becomes a seed 

 and manure drill. Adjustments for 

 the width of furrows are also intro- 

 duced in the more complex imple- 

 ments 



Fig. 1 represents the simplest drill 



Fig. 1. 



barrow, a is the hopper containing 

 seed ; the bottom is closed by a cyl- 

 inder, in which there are holes at 

 proper distances for one or more 

 seeds ; this is made to revolve by 

 a string or strap of leather passing 



from the axis of the wheel to the 

 axis of the cylinder ; c is a coulter 

 which scrapes the furrow, and behind 

 it the seeds are deposited as the cyl- 

 inder turns round. Such a machine 

 has to be used upon land already pre- 



S40 



