130 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



VoL.3. 



IMPROVED AGKICUtTURE. 



At the late meeting at Biietol ot the British Royal 

 Agriculturol Society, Mr. Smiih of Dennstoii, the 

 author as he rany be called of ihe Improved System 

 of Thorough Draining and Subsoil Ploughing, was 

 called upon to explain at large, his views and practice 

 in a public lecture. This was done without writing, 

 and has been reported at large in the agricultural press- 

 We have condensed it from the Mark Ijane Express, 

 but have taken care to omit nothing that is essential to 

 a full understanding of the subject It is full of im- 

 portant matter, and will be read by every intelligent 

 farmer with the deepest interest. The results of this 

 system are beneficial in the most extraordinary degree, 

 and bid fair almost to revolutionize the husbandry of 

 Great Britain. The results are not more extraordi- 

 nary than they are profitable, as it appears from the 

 most undoubted facts, that while under the old eyS' 

 tem, a Scotch acre of land in a lease of 18 years 

 would, after paying all the expenses of cultivation and 

 rent, leave a profit of only £5. 14s. stg., for the 

 whole time, and at the same time the quolity of the 

 land become deteriorated ; under the Improved Sys- 

 tem, the land itself would be left in a highly ameli- 

 orated condition, and the actual profits for the same 

 time, after expenses were paid, would be £64. 14s. 

 sterling. — Ed, 



liECTURE BY MR. SMITH, OF DEAN- 

 STON, ON DRAINAGE. 



Delivered lefore the Members of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society, in the Theatre of ilie Philosophical 

 Institution, Bristol, Wednesday, July 13, 1842. 



(From the Biistol Mercury.) 

 After apologising for the alteration of the time of 

 lecturing, Mr. Smith proceeded : — 



The dryness of land is of great importance — in fact, 

 the dry condition of the soil is the foundation of all 

 good husbandry. It is beneficial to the wojking of 

 the soil ; to the after-growth of plants. There is 

 scarcely any labor of agriculture which is not facilita- 

 ted by the dryness of the soil. If we find a tree 

 stronger than his neighbor, we shall find that there 

 the soil is derp and in a dry condition. If we see a 

 stronger and darker-colored herbage growing on the 

 hillside, there the soil will bo found deep, and in a 

 dry condition. There is not one of the various soils 

 of the United Kingdom which will not be much im- 

 proved by being placed in a dry condition, if they are 

 not so by nature. Even on a subsoil or gravel or 

 eand, the introduction of the thorough drain system 

 would be beneficial ; but as there is only a small por- 

 tion of that sort of soil in this country, the greater 

 part being super-imposed upon a wet soil, it becomes 

 of the first importance to improvement in agriculture 

 that means be taken to render the soil dry. Many 

 attempts have been made with that view, but tintil 

 the introduction of the thorough drain system, there 

 was not the power of droining land, on whatever sub- 

 soil resting, and rendering it completely dry. The 

 purpose of this lecture is to illustrate the principles 

 on which this system acts ; then, to show the a 1 van- 

 tages in carrying on the difterent processes with re- 

 spect to the various crops ; and then to explain the 

 modes employed to render this drainage effective. 



[Mr. Smith here illustrated by a diagram, his me- 

 thod of thorough draining ; the soil, the subsoil, the 

 drains, &c., being represented.] 



In reterring to two lines, representing the direction 

 of drains, he had drawn one at a greater inclination 

 than the other, to show the advantage of making the 

 drains deeper than they generally were. The pre- 

 vailing practice was to make the drains two feet deep, 

 but he preferred an additional six inches — it was of 

 great importance to allow the water to go off as quick- 

 ly as possible, and this advantage was secured by cut- 

 ting the drain to a greater declination. People sup- 

 pose that at a great depth water would not go off at 

 all, but this was a mistake. Another advantage from 

 a deep drain was that it allowed the whole bonk of 

 soil to become completely dry, and it consequently re- 

 quired a very heavy rain to wet it. The action of the 

 atmosphere too required to be taken into account. 

 He would not enter upon the chemical question, but 

 it teas well known that soils were much improeed by 

 the action of the air, and this advantage could only 

 bt secured after Hit water was witkdravm. 

 To raixkr th« 6*ld completely dry, a gr«M nnmber 



of drains should be cut, and they should be laid off in 

 parallel lines beginning at the highest side of the field. 

 This secures a thorough drying. When the lines t-un 

 parallel, much greoler effect is produced than when 

 they are drawn across. When drawn across, the 

 drains may catch the water, but it does not run off .-o 

 readily. 



The distance at which the drains should be placed, 

 will depend on the soil. If the field hns been siib- 

 eoiled, the plough will form artificial ehonnelain the 

 soil below. If it is a stiff soil, it will keep long upon 

 the Eurfoce ; the more free the soil is, the greoter ten- 

 dency it has to allow the water to poss : so that on a 

 stiff soil, such as thostiffer clays, taking into account 

 the nature of the subsoil and the soil itself, about the 

 same drain will serve on oil soils. The distonces are 

 generally from 15 to 20 feet : in some soils individu- 

 als have put in the drains ot 12 feet ; but that is, in 

 some degree, throwing away money. From observa- 

 tions which I have made myself on all Eorts of soil, 

 I recommend about 16 to 20 feet as the distance froin 

 one drain to the other. 



The way I usually proceed in draining is, first, to 

 find a good bottom-level to run the drain into. In 

 some parts of the country there is difficulty in getting 

 an open level to carry off the whole woierof the dis 

 trict ; but by a proper engineering it may be accom- 

 plished in most situations ; because it is found that if 

 proper channels are executed, a larger quantity of wa- 

 ter will be discharged with a very small fall. In an 

 endeavor to carry off water, I found that in a drop of 

 four inches in a mile, thirty feet wide and six feet 

 deep, I could discharge 300 tons of water per minute ; 

 which is much more than would fall in a very exien- 

 sive district indeed. So that if means be taken to 

 carry off the main level, a fall moy be had. 



I shotild make the great main drain, if possible, 

 about four feet deep — three feet six inches will do ; 

 but in order to have a drop from the one drain into 

 the other, I make the main drain four feet deep, th^. 

 receiving drain three feet deep, and the parallel drains 

 two feet six inches. When there is any rise in the 

 ground, or any hollows over which the water cannot 

 very well flow, it is necessary to make a cad's drain. 

 That should be made about six inches deeper than the 

 other drains which fall into it; then running on, it 

 discharges itself into the main drain. 



As to the manner of executing the drains, various 

 modes are recommended, and on looking to land which 

 has been drained a great many years, where the drain- 

 ing has been performed carefully, all the different 

 modes employed for tlie purpose of keeping the drains 

 open have been effective. A great deal of the want 

 of effect in the duration of drains has been owing to 

 bad execution. In some instances fagots have been 

 introdiiced for the purpose of preserving the openings 

 of the drain, and these have been found to continue 

 and to preserve the openings in a perfect state for nine 

 — in some instances, for twenty years. 



In Scotland the peat-top is frequently used to form 

 the tiles for drains. It does well in clays which are 

 pretty stiff, but not so well in softer soils. In some 

 sandy soils, the sides not being sufficient to resist the 

 pressure of the top, the tile gradually sinks down and 

 closes up the drain. 



Another mode of filling drains is by stones broken 

 into the usual size for making roads. Much has been 

 said against tlie use of this sort of filling, but when 

 properly executed, 'the work is as durable as can be 

 required. Where stone can be had, and tiles are ex- 

 pensive, I should prefer it to the tiles ; it prevents 

 any vermin from travelling in the openings of the 

 drain, such as rolsnnd mice, which do a great deal of 

 mischief. The great point is, to be careful in cover- 

 ing over at the tops. As soon as wet comes, the sand 

 and other materials sifts down Into the stones, and they 

 ore choked up. I have found drains carefully execut- 

 ed completely destroyed in the course of a couple of 

 yeors. If drains are so packed that the water falls 

 down on both sides, the parts over-lapping each other, 

 there is no opening whatever for the sand to find its 

 way down. If drains are carefully cleared in this 

 manner, I will warrant their duration for almost any 

 period of time. I have executed myself about 130 

 miles of drain in this way, and have had them all 

 filled with stones ; many of them have been done 

 15 years, and there has not been a single instance of 

 failure. 



A gculleinau in the theatre inquired the nature of 

 the soil in the case alluded to. 



Mr. Smith replied, both on a gravel and a clay soil. 

 Many persons have asked whether or not the drams 

 would be choked up in particular positions. I hove 

 always asked them what position they referred to, and 

 have opened it up that they may see ; and in no in. 

 stancs have I found a single draia choked tip. 1 havr 



the drains of 100 acres all djscllarged into one pond, 

 provided for the purpose of seeing how much deposit 

 come Ironi the drain ; and although we have had heavy 

 rain, I have never seen the vyater in the pond tinged 

 as if there was much soil in it. I can, therefore) 

 eofely recommend stone? m a sufficient drainage ; and' 

 in many parts of the country it is much cheaper than 

 tiles. 



The next filling used for preserving the opening of 

 drains is the droin-tile. These ore usually made of 

 clay, and burnt. They ore very bandy and useful ; 

 and yyhere stones are not to be had they are to be pre- 

 ferred. But there are diotricls where the clay-tile cohi 

 not be prociired at any reasonable pribe. Lord Jamee 

 Hay has recently discovered a method of making 

 them of concrete stones cemented by lime; inmost 

 instances they will come considerably cheaper than 

 the brick- tile, and, if executed on the ground, where 

 they will not have to be corried far, the breakage will 

 be found to be very little, and they will prove to be 

 durable.. The cement mode of lime is more lasting 

 when covered iip than if exposed to the atmosphere. 

 There are two other m"des of making draitis— 

 peat-earth has been cut into a shape somewhat like a 

 hollow wedge; and a sort of instiument has been 

 made for the purpose of cutting peat-earth into the 

 form of the tile, so as to produce an opening not Ha* 

 ble to the objection of the wedge, which frequently 

 sinks and pulls up the opening. A stone is frequent- 

 ly used to lay the concrete tile upon, and prevent ita 

 sinking. It is also made of concrete. 



Many persons have e.'ipressed the opinion that, in 

 some of the very stiff clays, drains of this sort would 

 not be efficacious, and that the application of the sub- 

 soil plough after the draining would haVe no good ef- 

 fect. With the viSw of showing the beneficial re- 

 sults, both of draining and subsoiling, I have brought 

 some specimens of different cloys, in order to show 

 what improvement can be Jnode. Here is a piece 

 from the Pass of Stirling. This kind of soil has been 

 cultivated from a subsoil, and has been knowii to pro- 

 duce excellent crops of Swedish turnips. Here is 

 another very hard clay from Yorkshire. 



A gentleman enquired how long after the subsoiling 

 the land assumed a different character. 



Mr. Smith — olmost immediately — in the very first 

 year. It requires some years before it becomes adopt- 

 ed for a turnip soil. I have a specimen of some soil 

 which twenty yeors ago was so extremely stiff from 

 the alluvial deposit in the Pass of Stirling, that it re- 

 quired to be broken with large mallets, to reduce, me- 

 chanically, the great lumps of soil. Thorough drain- 

 ing or subsoiling was never thought of till about twen- 

 ty years ago, when this land was first drained ; and 

 now they get from it splendid crops of turnips, and in 

 almost any season. 



A gentleman wished to be informed of the nature 

 of the soil in Mr. Smith's farm. 



Mr. Smith — It varies. In some pirts it is sandy 

 cloy, and in others, clay perfectly impervious to wa- 

 ter. When IJirst began to subsoil there was not more 

 than three or four inches of active soil, properly so 

 called, for growing plants : after a labor of about 

 fifteen years I hare noic an active soil of sixteen 

 inches, and can turn over thai now in any part of the 

 farm. 



How near are the d'-ains in order to produce that 

 result ? 



Mr. Smito — Twenty feet. I think a distoncc of 

 about eighteen or twenty feet from drain to drain is a 

 proper distonce for almost any subsoil I shall now 

 proceed to detail the application of the subsoil plough. 

 When I begon to cultivate my own farm, although 

 I had put in the drains, I found they were not so effi- 

 cacious as expected, ond I then began to think of stir- 

 ring up the subsoil, which gave rise to the idea of the 

 subsoil plough. I thought I must construct an in- 

 strument which would execute the work with the 

 least possible power. I made my plough strong, and 

 of that form to which the least resistance would be 

 opposed, at the same time taking care to have euffi- 

 cient power fairly to siir up the soil. 



I will here explain the principle of the subsoil 

 plough. The great principle is, that there are many 

 subsoils, which, though capable of being converted 

 into a good soil, yet if brought up and mixed with the 

 active soil, will so far deteriorate it as to make it for 

 some time sterile. The great point is to stir up the 

 subsoil, still retaining the good soil on the surface. 

 Stirring up the subsoil would, in the first place, very 

 much facilitate the cscapeof the water into the drains ; 

 and in consequence of the passage of the water through 

 the stirred up subsoil, and the attendant odmission of 

 oir, it would be so acted upon as to be converted into 

 good soil, while at the some time hove all the advan- 

 tage! of working the active soil a> before. 



