802' [ASEMSBLT 



are mainly rendered infertile by a vast excess of vegetable substan- 

 stances, I would by all means practice burning, for the reason that 

 an undue quantity of such matters is not suited to vegetable growth, 

 and these will still remain sufficient for all the purposes of agricul- 

 ture. If your fields that require draining are nearly flat, and you 

 find it to your interest to make use of open drains, nature always 

 points out to you during dry seasons, the natural descent, which may 

 not be observed by the eye, unassisted by a water level. Examine in 

 such cases your ditches, and you will invariably find the aquatic 

 plants growing therein, such as water cress, brook lime, &c., point- 

 ing down the descent towards the lowest level. I have frequently 

 observed this fact, w^ith surprise. 



On ground which is particularly flat, it will be necessary that you 

 give your drains a descent of at least 4| feet to the mile, otherwise 

 they will not keep themselves free, and the only way to effect this- 

 object is to cut deep at the outlet. If the bottom of your drain con- 

 sists of small stones, you must give it a descent of one foot in every 

 110 feet; if fine gravel, one foot in every 415; if coarse sand, one 

 foot in every 610 feet; if mud and sand, one foot in 2001 feet; if 

 soft clay, one foot in 4015 feet. There are in this State large tracts 

 of clay soils, yielding a sparse growth of rushes, which in summer 

 are cracked in every direction, and almost as hard as flint, and in 

 the spring and fall, present the appearance of yellow soap. They 

 have been manured in many instances without effect, and their own- 

 ers have abandoned them — still I assure you these same lands are 

 capable, by drainage, subsoil plowing and judicious use of lime, of 

 being made amazingly fruitful and productive, any manure placed 

 upon them w^ill remain to ameliorate and render them friable, they 

 will not feel the vicissitudes of a dry season, nor the ill effects of dt 

 wet one. 



Ten years since, I built a drain 1000 feet long, of brick and stones 

 in the following manner : A ditch was dug through a dry soil 2^ 

 feet deep, of a triangular shape; bricks were placed on end at 

 the bottom, forming a triangle; they were then covered with hy- 

 draulic cement ; flat stones were used as a covering, a layer of pine 

 shavings were strewn over the top to fill up the interstices, and the 

 whole covered with earth. At its terminus, I sank a large hogshead 

 with numerous holes bored in the bottom, which rested on gravel;, 

 my object was eflfected, and the drain hr.s never required any repairs. 

 I have also constructed a drain of brick by reversing the angle^ 

 standing the bricks on end at the bottom of the drain — likewise hy 



