SECRETARY'S REPORT. 213 



the operation is commenced. And very good advice it is to liim 

 who has the means to pay the engineer and to buy the tile. 



But let us for a moment consider the case of one who is not 

 so situated. The subsoil of his farm is hard-pan, which submits 

 only to the })ick. Nature so fairly indicates to him the courses 

 for his drains, that he needs no engineer to aid him in this 

 respect. H6 is one who is zealous to improve his land, and, like 

 all others in these days, has the best of labor-saving machines. 

 The boulders and rubble must disappear from the surface to 

 leave free play for his mowing-machine ; why not, then, plant 

 them in drains, and so compel them to do him good service ? 

 The nature of the soil, as we have before said, will oblige him 

 to dig a drain wide enough for a man to stand in, and so to 

 forego the great economy of a tile-drain, viz., its less dimension. 



Stone conduits, when well laid on our New England farms, 

 are, when the fall is sufficient, though not perhaps (Jqual to those 

 of tile, well adapted to their work, and do it well and faithfully. 

 We can speak from experience, having, within the last eight 

 years, laid several hundred rods of drain with stone, which are 

 perfectly successful. 



Gisborne, one of the best English writers on this subject, 

 says : " It is almost as cheap to bury stones in four or five feet 

 drains as to cart them into heaps ; we have seen instances where 

 as many stones came out of the drain as would form the 

 conduit ; such soils are generally very firm." 



In these cases he says he " permits, without approving, the 

 use of a stone conduit." Now, if Mr. Gisborne knew the nature 

 of the soil with which most of our New England farmers have 

 to contend, and should also be informed that tiles cost from 820 

 to 125, and even $30, per thousand, upon the ground, and that 

 our laborers (doing ten hours' work,) command as good, if not 

 better, pay than many of our ministers, doctors and lawyers, we 

 think he would add that he approved, as well as permitted, stone 

 conduits. 



We will then assume that one need not be ranked as " behind 

 the times " who concludes that stone conduits are better than 

 none. 



There are times between hay and harvest, and after harvest 

 till winter, when one who is zealous to improve his farm can 

 thus apply his labor. Let him, after due consideration, deter- 



