50 



185 1.1 



THE 



AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



*long the top of this stiff clay in finding it* way to the crop* 



In utflff -words, it gets very little lower than 1 * 



of 



drain* 



more luxuriant and matured at tl ■ .11 



- The explanation of tlieae changes is, nodoti 

 supplied by the facta, that by the eaeiuiiM*) and rhnraets 



/ 



ts 



ripening. 



the vegetable mould, which must be rendered porous to 

 e "extent by roots of plants, even if it were not 

 jioved by the plough. ^ But the water will not be able 

 to find i ty far, having so many obstructions, or if it 

 must get away to a distance by the force of its own 

 iraght, it will remain a ruinously long time in doing so, 

 and will stagnate and injure vegetation. Deep draining 

 would have no adequate advantage in this ca^e, as the 

 water must flow to the edges and down the sides of the 

 drain, not making its way through the soil directly to 

 the bottom. The drains cannot draw from great dis- 

 tances, whatever may be their depth. 



From these two considerations, namely, of the ob- 

 struction to water flowing far, oa a nearly horizontal 

 Surface (that of the clay), and of the inutility of deep 

 drains (since they cannot draw to a distance which is 

 very great), we infer that in stiff retentive cold noils, 

 drains should approach the minimum depth and distance. 



On the contrary, in gravelly and porous soils the 

 water makes its way down from the surface and filtrates 

 through the subsoil to almost any distance and depth. 



Hence in this case deep drains will draw from distances In all cases of draiuage the subsoil murt Ik main toed by 

 proportioned to their depth. These two cases would opening into th in a short drain to see It TMspivlim 

 best be illustrated by the use of a diagram. I naryireconnoismmv must precede all eonclusioM oi form 



Deep drains at considerable distances therefore seem | and position of drains. It is therefore the first opera n 



to be performed. 



0ame. 





action of air and water, much matter is made available 



to tlie plants bj henries 1 changes and 1 nechaakml action 



such as solution and transport* I m, which was aot befoi 



suitable to their nourishment, or within tlieir reach. If 



the water lies in the subsoil, the air cannot set upon it 



below that wafer, and it is known tha< the roots of rou*4 



plants do not penetrate lower down tlian ti nd 



air. Many other equally rational cauet might be : ;>c seen. 



assigned were any argument needed to prove tlie 



importance of this treatment of wet soil. Jt 



soil which in season of drought are most likeiv to 



lack healthy moisture. It bee aes hardened, cracked, 



and caked, so that the d niy falls ou it rtaee te 



escape again in the first hour of tlie succeed inc mm y 

 day, which otherwise would cause tlie i*y ng plants te 



pjovei in Umr notions 



efforts. 4i* 4y j Q 



ftmr e/ Enfinmrimj, mi 



of ■■■■—m 



/> Monk*, 





Home Correspondence. 



Vhat! has Ae old pose* trapped I* 



re>. rend opponent aloi th all Um hares and rabbit* 



Mam ijetre* and Wix_iit8 aerws of itwt- 

 estr laod, all highly euJtiv*it d, and not a hare or rabbit 



1* it h* ihe m iddie of Asm MOi asms is te 

 be found the dialleags farm wbieh the rsTtitmd gentle- 

 man spoke- of seme time ago* Mo doubt «f it. No 



0aam farm ee^i df« moment chat 1*1 ige mi Iml * fr*e 



of those dohtrurti ve am mule. A gentlemen Kviag hem, 

 who held a high oiio e flimiMH House, tttd me thai 

 u !"" h t. oeae MaralmiM. be is eurrutmded with 



lamooHetee; i. v*u\ »< <i.*i h« u*$ mmmtttk mm 



evening. 



it 



aever is spoagy. la pasture mma <s • n 

 drains may serve very uoi, but tuejr fill up aod are *o 

 liable to be .. ructed by matter falliti; 

 be found as expensive in the end as thorough drainage*. 



grow in vigour, refreshed by the ooohng drs it of to them to say that th do net take meane fatfciaf 



rabbits and pheasants off Wsdbrm thai be u 



He 



Materials. 



Where stones « n be easily obtained th 

 are perhaps tlie meat economical materials for dm »g<", 

 and will serve very well, if carefully put in. The n 

 and submains should lie formed by placing the 



layer, and 9 inches for the stones, &c. ; we obtain a 

 minimum of 2 feet 3 inches, for a general rule we shall 

 Bay 2^ feet for the minimum depth of a drain in arable 

 land. In pasture land or water meadows they need not 

 be so deep. The distance between such drains may 

 be from 20 to 30 feet. The maximum again depends 

 on the facility of forming the drain, as we have seen 

 that it does not depend on tlie soil. But as a 

 deep drain should be wide at top, to allow men to work 

 at great depths, we qutstion whether it would be econom- 

 ical to make any drains deeper than 5 feet. This we 

 shall state as the maximum, to be filled with materials 

 so near the surface as the abundance of such materials 

 allows ; but not of course nearer than the 20 inches for 

 tillage and filtering stuff. With tl 1 depth the drains 

 way be placed at a distance apart of 60 feet. Between 

 these limits the nature of the soil must suggest to the 

 skilful drainer what dimensions he will choose. Prac- 

 tice suggests the following relations : — 3 feet deep, 33 

 feet apart ; 4 feet deep, 48 feet apart, &c. «Scc. 



It is also a result of practical observation that by 

 doubling tlie depth you may drain one half more surface, 

 and three times as much soil. 



Thus A the triangle should boas nearly equi lateral ae 

 possible, and should rest on its base thai it may not sin 

 into tlie clay and get choked up. Small atones ft ild 

 then be put in on it. The stones for all drains should 

 be broken, but not too small. A little straw or brush- 

 wood placed on them to pr« vent the laoul \ ng down 

 among them is an indispensable requisite. The mould 

 may then be pushed in; but the turf, when irefully 

 removed in the opening of the <irain and placed on the 

 stones in filling in, serves admirably for this purp 

 Where stones are not in abundance without great expense 

 for quarrying, carriage, &c., tih may be need. The 

 circular tile now seems to have established its character 

 as the best and most economical 



most suitable for porous, gravelly, and loose subsoils. 

 They may in this case reach the maximum depth and 

 distance. It thus appears that both deep and shallow 

 drainage have their respective advantages, that both are 



required and applicable ; where then can be the use of »u U W uui«iii »uuum %m lonneo ov placing cue mooes so 

 so much discussion aud altercation on the subject, as j that a duct of triangular section is formed throughout : ' 

 appears in all the journals of the day which notice agri- 

 cultural interests and improvements ? 



We liave now to point out what are the mjeiimum and 

 maximum of depths and distances to which we have 

 referred. 



The water entering the pipes, stones, conduits, or 

 whatever else conveys the water along the drains, must 

 be previously filtered, so that no deposit may be made 

 which would obstruct the passage. Hence some layer 

 (clay for instance) must remain unmoved between these 

 pipes and stones, <5cc, and the tillage or surface mould. 

 Supposing the plough to move the soils to a depth of 

 12 inches, and allowing 6 inches for this immovable 



hart 



deetr..\ then If, an die land bfleage te him. 



told me that be would UAUm a very <*•#»*•< ni roe 

 of culture (arid no* he is a SfSOtli Meetoi) hi goed fame* 



it?; be k »ew« ti n emit »btu< ><i Cahfaefee, 



Hroseels Sprouta Savoys, Carrots, 4<* t hot eat v< mun 



are cominaaik , and woatd take otto 



man doing notion e *r to wa«-h fci* grwud, Utudre 



living in hot water wttb bw neighbour*. At an 



some miles below Croydon, two years age, 



were so eet< u up ui'h game that they taeeaiem'd, le a 

 man, that tl . .nld all leave if tl*r ge«ne PfM aet 

 redu The landlord very wisely granted it ; ho 



allov I not only t b farmers bat al I i\%**r fn«-ado to UK 



a«4 well. Hew many wm the number, 1 uk« my eppo 

 n#*nt f <>i (i iiOvwho helped te klH told me »at 

 tli- rloee upon 1 .%.«MA bead of ell i-.rt My 



revei* nd opponent LttOwO nothing of a te. For 



what haw a nohl \ ari done away with all the game upon 

 his immense estates, as mentioned lu»t now in the 

 papers, and many moto lieaides bun f I do b .; 

 no one for one moment will thiol that I heee anything 

 hut a national j. id in vi<f, Thom niglitly bandits 

 would soon turn into decent workmen if the re w* r« 



fir^t criine of tfieoe 



case of 



subsoils. 





Certain it is that it 

 suits most the purposes of drainage, completely supply- 

 ing all the requisites to a good draining conduit. 



A drain should never be placed close* to a fence, 

 else the roots of trees, &c, get in n<\ stop it up ; besides 

 vermin are more likely to lodge in it if it is near hed» 

 &c. It is difficult to say what the expense of draint^, 

 ought to be, so much depends on the pries of labour, the 

 nature of the soil, size, &c. ; but id* per pole may be 

 taken as a fair average, which will enable anyone to 

 compute the expense of a given quantity of work approx- 

 imately. Bricks, peat, and Larch tubes, have in many 

 localities b n bund cheap and efficient materials for 

 forming drains, when stones and pipe tiles could ndl be 



conveniently obtained. The price of tiles is very un- 

 certain, varying with their size, &c, from lo.<. to 25*. 

 We need not here advert to the many excellent drainage 

 tools which are now so commonly sold, and used every- 

 where throughout the country. 



In conclusion, we have only to express ear astonish 

 ment that so much discus- >n should exist about the 

 depth of drains — since their useful depth in any situation 

 can be settled to a mathematieal demonstration, and 

 therefore admits of no doubt. Yet we find silly people 

 still raising the question, and hort-siglited individuals 

 who only see as far as the boundary of theirown respective 

 premises, setting up a favourite depth and distance 

 which they would apply in all cases. True, it would 

 onlv involve a little additional and u n n ecesmry e x nenoo 



no game. Ae game stealing is tl 



pe opl e , all othe rs wonld alBmafms \ Ihi now oppmmsl 



farmer would 1- bave to keep IbetV fat m< 



preserved ostatm 1 »roduc<* -it' rylo^ 1 mil a con- 

 tinued atdmosit and bitter feeling ctwoon landlord 

 and tenant, loo often carried on in an under eurront ; 

 it is also the producer of every eor f deetmct »>« 

 the verv nursery beds of millions < seeds along the 

 uncultivated headland and broad h< I an ioS. 



Of drainaSDsl And many of th a beautifully ripr rod seeds can and 



do travel* for miles. Some gam* estates that I know 

 are not one bit better than when t Saxon* first landed 



But on the other hand, where no 



tl farm has a neat and 



an 





upon our >res. 



game is, leases arc > h mi 1 



garden-like appearance, the wild animals are an gone, 



no rats and mice by the the nd Stoning in from their 



annum r quarters to winter upon the corn of the farmer. 



Ko gamekeeper's houses covensd with cats, p its, 



p weasels, &c, the farmers look aHer them bu 



where game is, they are not allowed even to shoot at a 



rat, or the keeper would soon be aft* 1 him. 1 am quite 



prepared to state, that when the ' me-law* are done 



away with, Hie land will rise in price in every acre. 



Is it not ml to think that we have the best of land 



within SO miles of the great j tropolis, let at Bi, 



and 7i. 6rf. per acre (all through game). The days 



are now gone, a gentleman will no longer be able 



to resist the just demands f his tenants, even it he 



si id be rich enough to still make his estate into a 



inie preserve. My reverend opponent, in one of his 



bitters, has * i that it. is a great ben< t to the poor 



to have such a quantity of game sent to London ; I can 



ami therefore they are quite at liberty to indulge their mm r for them all, that the poor of London do not 



foolish fancies on their own territories; trot we regret I < n know the taste of either a hare plica, it, nor 



that this will not s isfy them. They must be out in partridge ; hatf-e-erown for a hare, half-a-crown for 



print and try to instruct, while they only mislead, as a pheasant, and three shillings for a brace of |>irtndm! 



often as they find innocent or ignorant readers and One wild thing they do buy, and that is rabbits ; tboeo 



J ° are 1 ught at 8rf. and 1<W. apiece, and a cat would 



11 





practitioners. 



We have also to regret that very much land 

 remains in its primeval state of neglect and humidity 

 How often one sees a farm cultivated almost beyond its 

 capabilities, money expended on artificial stimulants to 

 vegetation, and lazy men going idle for want of work, or 

 crying out against the introduction of improved ma 

 chinery for performing useful labour lest they should be 

 disengaged ; and in another tenement, a few perches 

 distant, wet, unreclaimed native land, r piling only 

 labour to double its produce. Much agitation is kept 

 up about the best manures, while not one-fourth of the 

 land is prepared for the beneficial application of any, 

 to the full extent which skill alone directing labour 

 would effect. Yet every man mast not be his own 

 drainer, unless he first studies the principles : or he is 

 likely to incur much more u- c t than would 



remunerate the professional practitioner in this depart- 

 ment. It is almost painful to see what waste is caused 

 by inattention to drainage and irrigation. 



Frequently a river may be seen lazily wending its way 



This is only true in the 

 porous subsoils. One other circumstance 

 remains to be adverted to, nanlely, that when the fall 

 is slight an increase may be required to be made by 

 varying the depth of the drain. Mains and submains 

 must always be from 4 to 8 inches deeper than those 

 drains which flow into them, in order to increase their 

 draught of the water from these minor conduits. 

 Regarding the dimensions of each drain in cross sec- 

 tions, it needs only to be mentioned that it must be such 

 that a man can conveniently stand and work in it. It 

 ™&y be 15 inches at top and taper down to 3 or 4 at 

 bottom, according to the nature of the filling materials. 

 If pipes be used the bottom of the drain should just 

 be capable of receiving them. 



The drainer ha-ving decided on the distances of his 

 drains, aud marked them on his plan, proceeds to stake 

 them out on tlie field, and should make models and 



gauges of wood, to ascertain that the labourer has cut crying out against the introduction 01 im proven ma- 

 them to the form required by the specifications, and also 

 a level (such as the A level) to try the rates of inclina- 

 tion, which should be made sufficient to cause the water 

 to flow, yet must not be too great, so that the soil would 

 be worn away. 



We have said that all land may be improved by 

 drainage, but many cases of wet land which demand 

 immediate attention occur. Delay in drainage is posi- 

 tive waste of the legitimate produce of the soil. 



Tlie usual symptoms by which these cases may be 

 detected, and by which, in general, wet land may be 

 known to require drainage, are, — 1st, that it produces 

 coarse Grass, much weeds, rushes, or in general vegeta- 

 tion which possesses the characteristics, in some degree, B # 



tf aquatic plants ; aud 2d, that when tilled, it appears to be drunk up by the ocean in dry weather, when it ( 

 dark and eold after rain, while the surrounding dry ~ : ~ u > u " ™" A ~ + ~ ■*" - ™ ne * hnnortant »"* as the 

 ground looks comparatively light in colour, and hearty ; 

 ^d 3dly, that in every case wet ground feels hard and 



^elastic to the tread, 

 heal 



From these symptoms the prac- 

 man soon decides when drains are needed, and 

 Simultaiieously the method of forming them to advantage. 

 The result of d 



might be made to play a most important part as 

 farmer's friend, and the same stream in tiroes of ram 

 comes with resistless force and carries off' his grain and 

 half the food of all his crops, as if in wicked retaliation 

 for his carelessness and neglect of it This is a subject, 

 however, which we purpose to resume at no very dis- 



d we shall therefore now conclude with 



answer the same purpoee. My leiursnf opponent 



seems to lav some stress upon woods bnedinp insects. 

 No doubt of it. I must here sUte that a nroperly 

 managed wood ought to be kept quite clear of all brush- 

 wood and rubbish. A plantation likes good manage- 

 ment, like a plantation of Liquorice or anything else. 

 I am truly sorry that the Rev. George Wilkins has 

 spoken so lightly of the celebrated Mr. Smith of 

 Deanston's shallow draining. I have a case here that 

 Mr. Smith was quite right with drains 2 feet 6 inches 

 in a strong retentive clay. When the rage came up for 

 deep drain*, the Bishop* of Winchester ordered a ten- 

 acre field to be drained 5 feet deep at some five-and* 

 thirty feet apart ; the drains never run. The bailiff took 

 upon himseit after two years to put in drains upon 

 Smith's plan % I * <J inches deep between the others ; 



those drains carried off every drop of surface water. 

 The Bishop was so surprised that he had no more deep 

 drains upon such soil. This I was told in Sir Robert 

 ! p a house some four years ago or more ; and by the 

 Bishop's steward and bailiff. Had my r. verend oppo- 

 nent known Mr. Smith, of DeanMon, for five-and -thirty 

 , as I have done, he would have arrived at a very 

 ifferent opinion of this great man, whose name will not 

 soon be forgotten. I return my most grateful thanks 

 to mv reverend opponent for his temperate ana 

 kind consideration during this discussion, and his good 

 wishes for so humble an individual as myself. Jam® 



y 



«Aoe result of draining immediately appears to be tant day, and we shall therefore now conciuue wim, ^ •«« ™ ^ . 



beneficial, and shows itself in increased and healthier j humble wishes that some people may have been im- Cutkitl, CambcrweU* Lonaon. . 





