SPRING. 



thus prevent the bad effetls that would otherwife proceed 

 from its confinement fo near the furface. In quick or run- 

 ningr fandi, turves muft alfo be laid at the bottom of the 

 dram, under the fough, to prevent the Liofe fund from flow- 

 ing up, and to render the foundation of brick or Hone more 

 fecure in cafe of their finking. Before boring, it is proper 

 to lay the fide-itones of the conduit ; after which the holes 

 may be put down, at the diftance of every four or fix yards. 

 But if the water, on withdrawing the auger, rufh up with 

 violence, and continue to have a boiling appearance, it indi- 

 cates a ftrong body of water confined below, and, conlc- 

 quently, requires a nreat n^.mber of openings to give it a 

 fpeedy and fufficient vent. When the force of the water is 

 great, the width of the holes enlarges, and confequently tlie 

 difcharge is incrcafed. By a careful examination of the ad- 

 joining ground, it is fomelimes polTible to fay at what depth 

 the (Iratum containmg the fpring lies, and confequently how 

 deep the bores muft be made ; but the general rule is to go 

 down until the water rife immediately on withdrawing the 

 auger. Thirty feet have been bored down before the water 

 flowed in a full and free manner ; but about from ten to 

 fifteen feet may be faid to be the average depths of boring. 

 One cafe is ftated, in which, after boring thirty feet, tlie 

 water ifTucd in a quantity equal to three hogflieads in a minute, 

 by which a great extent of wet ground in the vicinity was 

 drained. In tlicfe fands, it 13 alfo better to dig a little into 

 the fides of the trench, off the line of the fough, where the 

 auger is to be ufed, and, after boring, to cover the places 

 in the fame manner as the reft of the fough, leaving out a 

 fide-ftone oppofite the hole, as the fand thrown up by the 

 fpring can thus be more eafily taken out with the hand till 

 it fubfide and give over running, and is likewife off the 

 main current, coming down the middle of the drain. That 

 part of the fough above the auger-holes fhould be left un- 

 covered till the fand is all thrown up, and the openings clear ; 

 but, till then, the fand muft be taken out, and the fough 

 may afterwards be covered up with fafety. Above fome of 

 the auger-holes, or at any other convenient part of the drain, 

 a kind of funnel may be built to the top of the trench with 

 a flat ftone laid over it, whereby it can at any time be looked 

 at to fee if the ilTue is clear, and if the quantity of water 

 diminifhes or increafes. When the circumference of the 

 auger-holes is not fufficicnt to let up the quantity of water 

 which the fprings would otherwife ilTue, where it is not far 

 from ti'.e bottom of the trench to the llratum containing the 

 water, and where there is a bed of hard gravel intervening, 

 impenetrable by the auger, holes muft be dug with tlie 

 fpade, down to the fpring, and thcfe holes filled up with 

 loofc ilones ; firit putting down a round ftakc in the middle, 

 which, after the ftonee are filled in, muft be drawn out, 

 which leaves an opening for the water to flow up. No 

 apprehenfion need be entertained of the holes made by the 

 auger being filled up, whether the dram be open or covered, 

 provided no other water is admitted ; for fuch is often the 

 force of the fpring, that it will throw up any earth or other 

 fludge that may accidentally get into it ; and it can be in- 

 jured only by the admiffion of great quantities of furface or 

 flood-water coming up on it at once. When flat ftones 

 can be got, they are preferable to brick for this ufe ; but 

 there arc feveral kinds of brick befidcs the common fort 

 invented and ufid only for the purpofe of draining, in fe- 

 veral parts uf the kingdom, where the expencc of ilone 

 would become greater. When fmall drains are wanted, ind 

 when the water is to be conveyed to a houfe, &c. that 

 which is of the arched form is commonly made ufe of. For 

 larger drains, thofe of the fquarc, hollow, pantile form are 

 well adapted, efpecially the latter. They are laid fingle, 

 Vol.. XXXIII. 



without one reverfed under ; for when that is done, the 

 water running on the under one occafions a kind of fludge, 

 which in time becomes lo encrufted on it, as totally to ob- 

 ftruA the paffage of the water, and render the work ufelefs 

 in a few years. In clay bottoms they may be laid fingle, or 

 w ithout any thing under ; but in foft faiidy bottoms, a com- 

 mon building brick (hould be laid under each fide to prevent 

 them from finking down, and be fo laid as to forma regular 

 arch, by the fide-bricks being laid with an equal height, the 

 better to lupport the preflure above from breaking ihem. 

 They may be conilruded in the above fhape to any di- 

 menfions, fuitable to the quantity of water the drain is to 

 convey. 



Although the earth that is thrown out of the drain (hould, 

 when filled in again, be confiderably higher than the furface 

 of the ground on each fide, it muft remain fo ; for in a year 

 or two it will fubfide to the level of the furface on each fide. 

 What remains may be fpread or laid in fome adjoinmg hol- 

 low ; for, if levelled at firll, the earth immediately above the 

 drain finks down, and the rain by that means lodging in the 

 hollow and fubfiding downwards, may injure the fough, by 

 carrying part of the furface of the earth along with it. 



While the drain is cutting, in very wet peaty foils, the fur- 

 face. water, or what may ooze from the fides before coming 

 to the Ipriug, muft be iiopped here and there ; and when let 

 out to run through the fough, a turf or bunch of grafs muft 

 be laid fo as to prevent any fludge which it may bring down 

 from running through along with it, as this might choak the 

 laid part of the drain and ftop the paffage of the water. 

 When trees, efpecially afh, happen to be in the courfe of the 

 drain, they muft be entirely _fruiW up, otherwife the roots 

 will get into the fough, and expanding through the joints 

 of the ftones, will loon put a ftop to the paffage of the 

 water. When the water iftued by the drain becomes of a 

 red ochrey colour, it indicates a flagnation either from the 

 above caufe, if amongft planting, or from fome part of the 

 fough having fallen in ; which fhould be fpeedily repaired, 

 otherwife the grounds will foon become equally wet as be- 

 fore. In the lall place, the mouth of the drain (hould be 

 carefully railed in, or otherwife guarded, to prevent the 

 cattle from trampling it or choaking it up, being fond of 

 drinking there for the fake of the cool water, even although 

 there be watering-places in the field ; and where there is 

 any defeft of this kind, it fhould immediately be remedied. 

 Likewife the outlets of the drains where they empty them- 

 lelves into an open ditch, or run of water, fhould be often 

 examined and kept clear, as they are very apt to be choaked 

 up with gralf and fand when neglefted in fuch places. The 

 firfl fymptoms of the drain's having effeft, and wliicli foon 

 appear when the fpring is properly tapped, are, that all the 

 furface-dra'ms that may have formerly been made, and alfo 

 any adjacent pits, ditches, or places to which it may have 

 backed up, immediately become dry, and remain fo after- 

 wards. On the whole, it appears from the foregoing obfcrr. 

 ations, that this mode of draining bogs, or land injured by 

 fubterraneous water, is by far the mofl effeftual of any that 

 li.as yet been luggeftcd ; and that fuch ground may be made 

 completely dry, by cutting oft one fpnng alone, with which 

 the particular place to be drained may have no apparent 

 communication, but whicli may be io conneftcd under 

 ground, that from it all the others derive their fourcc, and 

 being therefore the principal caufe of the whole, to hit on it 

 fii'ins the chief defideratum of the bulinefs. Many inilanccs 

 of tills iiave occurred in the |)radice of draining boggy land, 

 under the diredtioii of the above expert drainer, where by a 

 few auger-holes, hitting upon the particular (pot where the 

 loweft part of the main fpring lay, a confiderable extent of 

 4 I ground, 



