180 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



SECTION 2. The Draining of Meadow and Arable Lands. 



The first great point in commencing drainage operations is to procure 

 a good outfall, which of course depends on local circumstances. The 

 main drains should have sufficient fall, as on this depends the proper 

 working of the whole system. The main drains are generally discharged 

 into open ditches, streams, or rivers ; and attention should be paid to 

 see that the mouths of the mains are kept at such a distance above the 

 highest water-mark of the ditch, stream, or river, as the case may be, as 

 will prevent the drains being flooded by back-water. The openings of 

 the main drains should also have a grating of iron in front, to prevent 

 rats or any vermin or dirt getting in to choke the drain. I have 

 usually put in an iron pipe, with grating in front, as the first pipe in 

 the drain ; it is better to have this than to have a common clay pipe 

 projecting at the mouth, which is liable to be broken at any time. 

 If the main drains are emptied into streams which are crooked, it is 

 often the case that the water in the stream runs sluggish from its 

 crooked state, and thus keeps back the water in the drains. Where 

 such exist in a crooked state, as shown in fig. 63, and where the 



FIG. 63. 



nature of the groxind will admit of its being done, the stream should 

 be straightened, as shown by the dotted line a b. I have observed on 

 many estates a stream such as is shown, which acted as a " mother " 

 drain to several thousands of acres, and which, if properly straightened, 

 would have benefited the general drainage very much. In straighten- 

 ing a stream of this kind, the earth taken from the new cut should be 

 emptied into the old watercourse. 



The expense of straightening such streams is not so much as is gener- 

 ally supposed at least the expense is not much when the benefits re- 

 sulting from such an improvement are taken into consideration. I have 

 had them done at the rate of 3d. per cubic yard of soil removed, the soil 

 being removed from the new bed and put into the old bed at an average 

 distance of twenty yards. Of course the cost per mile or half-mile can 

 easily be ascertained by the length, breadth, and depth of the cutting, 

 and calculated accordingly. 



