No. 216] 803 



placing a flat stone at the bottom, laying the bricks on their sides, 

 and covering with a third brick; also by forming a triangle at the 

 top and bottom by means of four bricks. I have made an excellent 

 drain by coupling tv»^o flat stones trianglewise, meeting at the top, 

 and filled in with small stones: also by ploughing a deep furrow 

 through the low parts of the field, a portion of the lower side of 

 the sod is cut off, and the sod returned to the furrow, you then have 

 about 4:i inches of an opening for the water to course through. 



Drains may be made very cheap where stones are not to be ob- 

 tained by laying three rails in the bottom of the trench; or by plac- 

 ing three hemlock boards on the flat on each side of the drain, and 

 two boards resting on them and meeting at the top thus forming a 

 sort of arch, capable of sustaining great weight. I have tried the 

 cobble stone drain, which I made by filling up a well cleansed ditch 

 to the depth of sixteen inches, with -round stones, about the size of 

 a man's fist after which they were covered with straw and filled in 

 with dirt; the interstices soon became clogged with earth and thus 

 disappointed my hopes. 



In the British Farmers' Magazine, Vol. iii., page 289, you will 

 find that steam engines of sixty to eighty horse power, are used to 

 great advantage at Deeping Fen, near Spalding, for the purposes 

 of draining. This fen contains 25,000 acres of land, which is most 

 effectually drained by the two engines. 



Littleport fen, near Ely, containing 28.000 acres, is drained by 

 two engines of thirty and eighty horse power. The last engine in 

 a trial of eight hours, by the use of 87 bushels of coal, 51,230 tons 

 of water w^ere raised. Thousands of acres of land, now valueless, 

 in our state might be reclaimed by the use of small engines, at a 

 trifling expense compared to their value for agricultural purposes. 



IRRIGATION. 



EY Pv. L. PELL, OF PELLHAM, ULSTER CO., N. Y. 



Irrigation — this subject is again before the club for discussion; at 

 the last meeting, two gentlemen were in dispute .respecting this im- 

 portant matter. One said it mattered not how long the water re- 

 mained on a field requiring irrigation; and the other, that it might 

 be left too long. Some land will admit of a longer continuance of 

 water than others, according to their porosity. The rule to be ob- 

 S£rved however, under all circumstances, is this; the very moment 



