SPRING. 



This Bpper drain will cut off the water, when it rifes to the 



furface ; while the upright drain will convey it to that cut 



along the lower fide of the wet ground, where the water will 



fubfide into the porous fubfoil. An eafier me. hod may be 



praftifed, where the retentive or impervious fubllratum is 



not deep, which is firft to cut the drain along the upper fide 



of the wet ground, and after coming to the ilratum m which 



the water flows, either to bore through the retentive fub- 



ftratum, or cut the drain to that depth ; by which means 



the water cut off above will be let down into the abforbent 



or porous ftratum below, and thus be got rid of more 



eafily than by any other method. But if the ground be 



fteep, and the ftratum, into which the water is let down, 



tads out any where below, or lower down on the flope or 



declivity, the water will again flow out, and eaufe a fimilar 



/pout or wet place in the field. This, however, will feldom 



be the cafe, it is faid, and may eafily be remedied, by 



being made perhaps near the extremity or lower fide of the 



field. 



It has been ftated, that Dr. Nugent, in his Travels 

 through Germany in 1766, has fhewn the mode of draining 

 marflies in that country to be nearly on the fame principles 

 as thofe explamed above. The draining of marflies i$ faid 

 to be condutted in much the fame manner as that of lakes ; 

 but the operation has there been feen performed only on 

 what we call moor or turf-grounds. Thefe are moll eafily 

 drained, by carrying trenches through thofe grounds, when 

 the difpofition of the country is fuch that the water can be 

 conveyed to fome neighbouring ftream. 



In thefe cafes, the firtt thing they do is, it is faid. to 

 carry a ditch to the middle of the moor in a direft line, its 

 depth and breadth adapted to the extent and wetnefs of the 

 ground, and thus to the fuppofed quantity which is to be 

 carried off. At every fix, eight, or ten perches, as the 

 ground is more or lefs fwampy, crofs-trcnches on both fides 

 are drawn in a direft line, and communicating on both 

 fides with the main trench. But, in cafe of water coming 

 from any neighbouring eminences, they dig a trench round 

 the whole ground as a refervoir ; and this likewife com- 

 municates with the main trench, &c. In cafe the draniing 

 of the water into fome natural receptacle be not prafticable, 

 at leaft not under a very great expence, then they have re- 

 courfe to finking ponds or refervoirs in fome neighbouring 

 bottom, and to thefe they carry all the trenches. Thefe 

 ponds are likewife faid to be of ufc as a fifhery ; but even if 

 the finking of fuch pond be too chargeable, there Hill re- 

 mains an expedient which is of good cffcft, and chiefly if 

 the moors are not too wet and marfliy. It is the nature of 

 moors, in general, that, beneath the turf or mofs, there is 

 a loam which hinders the moidure from penetrating ; and 

 this, indeed, is what makes the marfli, and caufes the lux- 

 uriant growth of the turf or mofe : but this loam or clay is 

 only a ftratum, and far from being of an immenfe depth ; 

 under it is generally a fand, or foine other ftony or loofe 

 foil. Here rejfon readily inforins us, it is faid, that a 

 middling morafs may be drained by perforaiitig the clay, and 

 thus making way for the moillnre to penetrate. In order to 

 this, a pit is dug in the dcepeit part of the moor, till they 

 come below the obftrnfting clay, and meet with fuch a 

 fpongy ftratum as, in all appearance, will be fufficient to 

 imbibe the moifture of the marlh above it. Into this pit 

 the ebbing of the morafs is conveyed through a trench, and 

 both the trench and pit are filled up, after the firft drain, 

 with large broad Itone", fitting them cdgewife, fo as to 

 leave interltices for carrying off the water : then fuch Hones 

 are laid over breadthwife, and tiufe covered wjth loofe 

 earth, like that on the furface. When no fuch ftones are 



10 



to be had, ftrong piles are rammed down the fides of the 

 trench, and broad boards laid acrofa ; and thefe are covered 

 with earth to a height fit for culture. This is a matter of 

 no great expence, the pit being as near the morafs as the 

 water will admit, and the trenches but fhort ; then they 

 have a drain unperceived, which leaves the furface of the 

 trenches for the plough. And in middling marflies, or 

 efpecially in fuch moor.s as are only wet and damp, this 

 method, though fometimes flow, never fails taking eff'eft ; 

 and many IraiSs are thereby made ferviceable to the farmer 

 or grazier. Much land, in fome parts of this country, haf 

 been drained in the manner here defcribed. 



It has been done with great fuccefs, to a confiderable ex- 

 tent, near Aberdeen, in Scotland, as well as in the county 

 of Roxburgh, according to the writer of the Agricultural 

 Report of that diftriil, on fuch wafte lands as might be 

 made arable, in which, at the depth of from one to fix feet 

 below the furface, is found, it is faid, a large feam of black 

 flaty or metallic fubftance, generally from twenty to twenty- 

 five feet in thicknefs ; and below this is difcovered a mafs of 

 whinftone rock, both lying in a tolerable regular ftraight 

 line. The thicknefs of the whinftone rock, it is fuppofed, 

 is unknown, as it is not believed to have ever been bored 

 into. The black flaty or metallic fubftance is commonly 

 found fo clofely cemented, as it were, without chinks or 

 fiflures, as that it is impenetrable even to water, or any 

 other liquid ; while, on the contrary, the whinftone rock, 

 when come at, abounds with chinks and fifTurcs, and will 

 receive and fwallow up any quantity of water that may be 

 poured into its bofom. The furface of the earth, above the 

 flaty or metallic fubftance, is found every where of a light, 

 kernelly, and mofty nature ; apparently having, in the 

 courfe of a feries of age?, been produced and formed from 

 the vegetable fubltances which had attached themfelves to 

 it ; falling in the autumnal feafons, and having no receptacle 

 to receive the rain-water, as it falls below its ftratum, it 

 prefervcs it on its furface ; and in the winter months be- 

 comes fwelled and enlarged in a confiderable degree. In 

 the fpring months, when the fun and wind abforb it, and 

 caufe it to exhale, the mofs becomes of tolerable firmnefs, 

 and produces a coarfe kind of unprofitable grafs, mixed in 

 many places with a iort of fliort heather, which is of no ufe 

 either for the rearing or feeding of Iheep or cattle. 



Two portions of this fort of wafte land, amounting to 

 twenty acres, the one lying nearly on a level, and the other 

 on the flope of a hill, were broke up in the autumn of the 

 year 1784. The level part was gathered up in fmall ridges, 

 ploughing rather deeply, and mnking the furrows narrow ; 

 labourers bemg employed, after the ploughs, to remove 

 any obltrudlions that might arife froiu ftones or roots, aa 

 well as to turn the upper rind or furf.ice underneath, when 

 not cflcfled by the ploughp. It was then allowed to remain 

 in that ftate ujitil the middle of the funu»ier of 178 J, being 

 only eaten and trodden in the fpring fealon by flieep and 

 cattle, which were occafionally driven about the ground for 

 the purpofe, thi- benefit of which was very great. At the 

 above period the land was again gathered up ; but finding, 

 although the ridges were getting high, being only let out 

 eight feet at firft, the plough did not reach or get to the 

 flaty ftibftance in the hollow of the ridge, it was neceflary 

 to lay out the ridges to fixteen feet. This coft much 

 trouble, h.it the plough was at laft got down to the flaty 

 fubftane*?. When the work was fo far advanced, the next 

 bulinefs waa dire6\cd to the getting the w.iter drawn out of 

 the hollows of the ridges, which were at Icall four feet be- 

 low any levtl that could be obtained. In order to .tccom- 

 plifli this, a pair of bore-rod» was procured, and put down 



the 



