General Notices. 



135 



Fig. 14. Section of a 

 Turf Drain. 



Fig. 15. View of a 

 dried Peat Covering. 

 Turf for a Brain. 



in the sun, they are remarkably strong, and will last many years : some in 

 this part of the country have stood for thu-ty years, both in land pastured 

 and under the plough. A man will cut about 2,500 of 

 these turves in a day, having a spade made on purpose, 

 with a ledge on each side, so that the peats are all cut 

 to the same size. He cuts from a breast of peat earth 

 which is from 3 in. to 4 in. deep in front of him ; he 

 pitches them as he cuts them from the breast to his 

 labourer, who is provided with a sort of carriage with 

 one wheel on which he puts the 

 covers. When he has got a suf- 

 ficient load, he moves them to a 

 short distance, and places them in 

 rows to dry in the sun and wind. 

 They stand a few weeks in this 

 way, and are then turned over and 

 remain for some time longer. They are then piled up in rows three deep, 

 so that the sun and wind get better at them than if they were all on the 

 ground. In this state the}^ remain till they are completely dried; they are 

 then made into large stacks till they are wanted for use. The stacks are so 

 made that the rain passes off them the same as off the roof of a house. 

 These peats are sold at bs. per thousand. The prime cost may be considered 

 about 3^. per thousand. The man has about 2s. 6rZ. per day, and labourer 2s. 

 The time of cutting them is in April and June ; it will not do to cut them till 

 the frost is over. 



Fig. 14. shows the drain cut and furnished with the peat cover. The drain 

 is cut from 20 in. to 30 in. deep, as circumstances may require. The workmen 

 have spades made on purpose. The price of making these drains is 2irf. per 

 rood, so called here, which is seven yards in length, the materials being laid 

 at the place. At this price a man will make about 2s. per day. When the 

 covers are placed on the drain, a little strong gravel or small stones are put 

 in, as shown in the figure, to take the top water into the drain. The drain 

 covers being on the principle of the wedge, weight increases rather than di- 

 minishes their strength, which is not the case with common draining tiles. — 

 M. Saul. Garstang, Dec. 22. 1842. 



Perhaps the following plan may be added to the one above described. 

 Where peat earth is not to be got, I have seen the following mode practised 

 to a great extent, and it has been fairly proved to stand for a great number of 

 years. The plan is simply this. Line out the drains in pasture lands ; and, in 

 cutting out the top sod, do it on the wedge system. The drains are cut the 

 same as in^^. 14. The plan is called sod-draining. These sod-drain covers 

 are cut so that the grass side is downwards. They are about 6 in, thick, and 

 of the same length and breadth as the peat covers shown in fig. 15., and they 

 are laid in the drain in the way before mentioned. I have been induced to 

 try whether these sod covers could be forced into the drain by pressure, and 

 have jumped upon them for this purpose, but found that the more I jumped 

 upon them, the stronger they were ; so that, after the drains have been filled 

 up according to the plan I sent you, there is no fear of their being injured by 

 either cattle or carts passing over them. — Idem. Dec. 29, 1842. 



By a subsequent letter from Mr. Saul, we learn that the Duke of Hamilton 

 is supposed to have housed more than 100,000 of the turf-drain covers {fig. 

 15. above) on his estate in the neighbourhood of Lancaster, and that he 

 would have housed more if they had been to be got ; but the demand by other 

 proprietors and by farmers has greatly exceeded the supply. 



Flower-pots with hollow Sides (figs. 16. and 17.), by Mr. Brown of Ewell, 

 and Mr. Saul of Garstang. 



ilfr. Broivn's Pot luith hollow Sides {fig. 16. copied from the Gard. Cliron. 

 for 1842, p. 803.) may have the vacuity filled with water through a small 

 orifice in the rim shown in the figure, or left empty at pleasure. Every 



