156 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. 15, 1S43 



LECTURE ON THOROUGH DRAINING AND 

 SUBSOIL PLOWLNG, 

 Bi) E. Smith, Esq., Deanslon, England. 

 By tlio arrival of the last Cunard steamship, we 

 recoived our rcfriilar files of the Mark-Lane Ex- 

 press. We find in them various items of afrricul- 

 tnral intelligence, some of which will be instruct- 

 ing to agriculturists on this side of the Atlantic. 

 We have been somewhat interested in a lecture 

 delivered by E. Smith, Esq., of Deanston, on Tiio- 

 rough Draining and Subsoil Plowing, before the 

 Richmondshire Agricultural Association, probably 

 the more so on account of having introduced these 

 topics before our readers the last two weeks. We 

 publish below some extracts from the lecture, 

 which, for the greater convenience, we hare ar- 

 ranged into sections. 



Importance of Drainint; the JVater from the Subsoil 

 as tvell as the Surface. 

 " Until within the last twenty years, the atten- 

 tion of persons desiring to drain their land was 

 principally directed to the removal of springing 

 water, bursting out in various parts, especially in 

 high ground, as in flowing over a considerable por- 

 tion of land it became wet and was rendered unfit 

 for agricultural purposes. He (Mr Smith,) would 

 observe that a dry condition of the soil was the 

 most important condition desirable, because with- 

 out having a dry soil, it was impossible either to 

 work it with advantage — to have the proper advan- 

 tage of the manure, or to have any successful re- 

 sults as regarded the crops. Land which had 

 been termed dry, in some parts of the country, had 

 been found not to be in that condition, and the at- 

 tention of cultivators had been directed to the wa- 

 ter springing from underneath. The cure for that 

 was digging to the spring, cutting it ofl^, and hav- 

 ing the water carried away by a drain. The ap- 

 plication of that principle, however, was but par- 

 tial, and did not at all npply to that sort of land 

 composed principally of strong tillage. In refe- 

 rence to that land, the surface of which did not so 

 much suffer from water rising to the surface, the 

 rain which fell upon it must find its way some- 

 where. Agriculturists had been led to give their 

 land a rounded form and to make water furrows 

 for the purpose of taking oflT the rain-water by the 

 surface, but it was quite clear that channels form- 

 ed on the surface, could not carry off the water 

 thus generated, except that water was above the 

 level in running on the surface. But it was very 

 essential and necessary that the water should not 

 only be taken from the surface, but also be taken 

 from the land to a considerable depth. With ttiat 

 view, the principle of 'furrow draining,' as it was 

 first called, but now known by the name of 'tho- 

 rough draining,' was introduced, and it depended 

 on that leading principle to place the channels suf- 

 ficiently near each other as to have the eflect of 

 carrying off the water which falls on the soil." 



Distance from Drain to Drain. 

 " With regard to the distance at which the 

 drains should be placed there was a difference of 

 opinion. He had found that eighteen feet from 

 drain to drain, was a very good distance. He had 

 had experience of that fact in stiff clays and in 

 moorish and other lands, and generally speaking, 

 lie had Tound that eighteen feet apart was a very 

 good distance. If the drains were made nearer to 

 one another, so much quicker would the water get 

 away ; but it must take a certain lime to get from 



the ridge into the drain; To save expense, how- between very wet and very dry, the difficul 



ever, he would not recommend the agriculturists would be great. But if they left it for a year 



to place their drains nearer than was necessary, '"'c, the plow, in dry weather, would work it eas' 



because the efficiency of the result was the great and effectively, and the least injury to the s 



point to be aimed at. Draining was a permanent ^''oi'ld be done by the trampling of horses. Vv'h 



improvement, and it ought to be done to produce ''"^ '3"d was thoroughly drained and subsoileJ, 



the best effect ; but there was no occasion to place should be laid flat, and have no ridges. The ri 



the drains nearer than would produce that effect." son why there should be no ridges was, that eve 



n- ,• r n n, • I particle of water falling on the surface passed i 



Dxrechon of the Drams. i 1 .1 11 ■ r ,, • ■ 



■' I to the soil wbere it fell, so that every portion 



"Then with regard to the direction of the the land received its own proportion of wat. 

 drains. The old fashion was, to run the drains j Water fell upon the land sometimes beneficia 

 across the hill for the purpose of catching the wa- ! and sometimes injuriously." 

 ter, but it was now found the best way to bring 

 the drains directly down the field. If the same 

 principle had only been applied in under draining 

 as in surface draining, the farmers would have 

 done right. In some great slips, it might be nec- 

 essary to cross in some way as to prevent it run- 



Explanation of the Beautiful .Vattiral Results 

 Thorough Draining. 

 " He would now explain the beautiful natu 

 results which would take place from thoroutrl; 

 draining land. Tho whole of it would appear 



ning ofl^ the soil, but if the draining was properly I ^^ filled with air, and that being expelled by v 

 executed, and by carrying it directly down the I ''^i'. '">d " beneficial effect. And he would mi 



hill, the best possible fall would be obtained. 

 Some people thought the going along the hill was 

 the best way to carry off the water, but he explain- 

 ed th.'it drains cut down the hill were the most 

 suitable. The way to drain the surface with the 

 least length of drain was, to run them in parallel 

 strips. But the most important point %vas with re- 

 gard to the depth of drains, and a point on which 

 there was not that intelligence in the country that 

 was desirable. People were apt to think that in a 

 stiff clay soil, they ought to have llieir drains near 

 the surface of the earth, but from what he had ex- 

 perienced, he could assure them that drains that 

 were executed two and a half feet, would receive 

 the water much more effectually than those which 

 were eighteen inches deep." 



Best Mode of Executing the Drains, 

 " The best mode of executing drains depended 

 upon whether stones or tiles were the most acces- 

 sible. He had no hesitation in saying, from long 

 observation, that where stones could be liad suffi- 

 ciently cheap to be broken in order to preserve the 

 opening of the drain, they were superior to tiles, 

 as they left a greater opening for the circulation 

 of the air and a freer circulation of water than 

 where tiles are used. He had had accidents from 

 tiles, but he had never met with any accident 

 when broken stones were used. He would advise 

 them to take care that the turf should be wide 

 enough, and the several portions of it to overlap 

 each other, so as to prevent the soil from getting 

 into the drain. If the soil to be put over the drain 

 were two or three inches in thickness, so much the 

 better, and the best agriculturist would be guided 

 by observation as to what sort of soil that should 

 be." 



Use of the Subsoil Plate in Opening the Soil. 



"In order to facilitate the opening of the soil, 

 the subsoil plow might be beneficially applied, but 

 he knew instances in which the subsoil plow had 

 not been successful. However, where it had fail- 

 ed, he found that it had been applied too soon after 

 the drainage was effected, and when the soil was 

 in a wet state. It was obvious that where the 

 plow was applied in that state, an injury was done, 

 as from the number of horses necessary to be em- 

 ployed in dragging along the subsoil plow, the 



tion a curious fact, viz: that if they kept the v 

 ter moving on the soil, it would become benefici 

 but the moment the water was allowed to stai 

 then it became injurious. If they wished to ii 

 gate the land, they would produce a much grea 

 effect by having a current than by allowing I 

 water to stand still. But water in falling throu 

 the atmosphere collected matters which were ui 

 ful for plants, and ammonia, as such, was of gre: 

 efficiency. If the soil was in a condition that 

 quired ammonia, the water would leave the amn 

 nia and pass through the land without it. But 

 dependent of this, the circulation of the almosplu 

 among the roots of plants was very beneficial, a 

 when in any way the circulation of the air was 1 

 structed, the plants would not be so much bei 

 fited as though there was a free circulation of t 

 atmosphere among their roots. Another procn 

 also took place after the draining had been effe 

 ed, which was by the acticm of the atmosphe 

 The stift' clay, after being thoroughly drained a 

 subsoiled, became converted into mould. T 

 mould became converted by the application of hi 

 bandry and manure to a great extent ; but it h 

 changed in a great degree by the action of the s 

 and air upon the soilj the chemical action of I 

 atmosphere on the soil changed its nature wlii 

 possessed one great advantage, and that was, tl 

 soil had a tendency to concentrate itself into lit 

 masses of what they called mould, which gave t 

 soil a quality of greatly retaining the moisture 

 every particle took up its quantity of water, a^ 

 acted like a sponge. These masses had a gr(i' 

 degree of moisture to supply the plants in a d 

 season. In the working of the soil, and in the a 

 plication of the subsoil plough, it was of impi 

 tance to have a good soil on the surface. Almi 

 all subsoils required exposure to the air, before th 

 were in a fit state to receive the roots of plants I 

 neficially into the earth. It was a very good pi 

 to turn up the subsoil ; he had done some thr 

 times over with the subsoil plough, still retaini 

 the surface soil, and the subsoil had been turn 

 into nearly as good land as the surface soil. Th 

 might dig down year after year, and bring up fre 

 soil, and by that means the land would be ve 

 much benefited. 



Operation of Manure on If'ft and Dry Soil. 

 " As to the application of manure to the Ian 



trampling in wet weather was very injurious to the 



land. Some persons, however, thought it ought to : it was quite clear that the manure put into a d' 

 be done in wet weather ; and if farmers intended ' soil, would take effect much sooner than if it hi 

 to subsoil when the land was in a medium slate been applied when the land was la a wet stei 



