210 APPENDIX. [March, 



I object to furrows, because water is allowed to collect in a body, and 

 thereby ruins the soil. 



The fact is, that those drains are so frequent, that they answer the 

 purpose of furrows 1 — Yes ; they answer the purpose of furrows. 



How far are they apart ? — Twenty-one feet, and two feet six inches 

 deep to the bottom. 



Do you drain with stones or with tiles? — Chiefly with broken stones^ 

 because I have stones upon the land. 



You spoke of sub-soil ploughing ; you are the inventor of a sub-sail 

 plough? — I am. 



Do you use it after draining? — After draining. I first take a grain 

 crop, and then after the separation of that crop from the ground I 

 sub-soil plough. 



How far do you fill up the drain with stones? — I put in 12 inches 

 of stones, leaving 18 inches between the upper part of the drain and 

 the surface of the soil, and then I cover them most carefully with very 

 thin sods, overlapping at the joinings, because it is of the first impor- 

 tance to prevent the soil which has been recently removed from run- 

 ning into the drains. There are many drains destroyed by means of 

 the soil getting in at the top. 



The water comes in at the side of the drains ? — Yes, by fissures in 

 the sub-soil. 



Will you describe the operation of the sub-soil plough ? — I have 

 got a plate of it here (producing the same.)* The principle upon which. 

 I constructed that plough was this, that I saw it was of the greatest 

 importance to break up the sub-soil, especially where it was tenacious. 

 I saw that the common trench plough, when used to break up the 

 sub-soil, at the same time turned over the recently moved sub-soil to 

 mix with the surface soil, which induced a sort of partial sterility for a 

 time. 1 then bethought me of having a plough that would move the 

 sub-soil, still retaining the active soil upon the surface, and I consid- 

 ered how I should construct it to have the least draught, so that the 

 horses might easily draw it, because I was aware that it would require 

 considerable force. I therefore made the plough as thin as possible 

 in its transverse section, and the share of the plough, which is us- 

 ually made with a free point not touching upon the lower part of the 

 plough, and I found it was apt in stony land to get knocked out of 

 its place, and therefore I made a mortice in the sock, and inserted the 



* See First Report of Agriculture of Massachusetts, p. 1. 



