SPRING. 



be funk or cut down to a firm bafis or ftratum, it is inef- 

 fedual ; the lands below are ItiU liable to be affeaed with 

 a portion, at lead, of the defcending waters ; belides that 

 which may fall on the particular furface of them. 1 hey 

 confequently demand nearly the fame labour to render them 

 dry, as they would without an incffeaual drain being made 

 along their upper margin or border; notwithftanding, 

 however, in many inftances, water, defcending internally 

 from a higher or more elevated fource, and mfinuating itielf 

 beneath the fuperficial foil of the lower grounds, fo as to 

 injure them, may be cut off by a drain running along at 

 the foot of the hilly land, when cut or formed to a proper 

 depth, as to the folid or impervious body ; which may, at 

 the fame time, fufficiently relieve the lands which are below, 

 as well as afford a valuable fupply of water for different eco- 

 nomical purpofes about the farm or ground. 



Another cafe of this kind of dr<iining is where the fupcr- 

 ficial partJ of the foil are of a porous or repellent quality, 

 and the under or fubfoil open or various, and partially 

 charged with defcending waters, paffing through beds^ or 

 veins of the fandy, gravelly, or fill'ured rocky kinds. This 

 is a fituation of land which occurs more frequently than the 

 above, but from which it principally differs, in the manner 

 in which the internal waters aft upon the lower lands. In- 

 ftead of being diffufed, in an uniform manner, beneath the 

 foil, they enter or corae into the fubftrata in coUeAed 

 ftreams ; and unlefs the fubfoil be fmgularly open, and 

 fpreads out in an even manner, operate very irregularly on 

 the land. Thus, if the foil be deep, and of an impervious 

 or repellent quality, plots of cold wet land are formed and 

 produced ; — if thin, and of a porous freely abforbent nature, 

 moory excrefcences are raifed on the furface ; and if the 

 ftream be powerful and narrowly confined, a fpring or foun- 

 tain is the confequence. 



The nature of the means which are to be purfued in the 

 removal of the wetnefs in this cafe is of a more compli- 

 cated kind than in the preceding inftance. In cafes where 

 the fupply of water cannot be cut off, the circumference of 

 the flat ground is to be relieved by covered drains formed in 

 a grcatlv declining manner from the difeafed parts, to a com- 

 mon drain or outlet in fome proper place. In this cafe, the 

 fupply of water is cut off with lefs certainty, than when it 

 is condufted by an evenly charged llratum, relling on an 

 impervious or repellent bafe or ihatum. It may have only 

 one, or many conduits iitnated at different depths. This 

 too is a cafe in which the fupply of water, with a fufEcient 

 fall, may take place ; and under circumftances which parti- 

 cularly demand it, every expedient fhould be had recourfe 

 to in order to intercept the defcending waters at the foot 

 of the flope on the higher fide of the lands which are to be 

 drained. 



A third cafe of draining in thefe fituations is, where the 

 furface-foil is impervious, or open and abforbent ; the under 

 foil porous and abforbent, with a clofed bottom, and charged 

 with defcending waters, relling on an impervious or repellent 

 bafe, which has an under bafe that is open and freely ab- 

 forbent. This is a fituation of land that may not often 

 occur in fuch a ftate as to have the ftratum or bafe on which 

 the water rells, only of a few feet in depth or thicknefs ; 

 but in which, it is probable, an open or porous ftratum may 

 BOt untrequently be found, by careful examination, at a 

 greater depth ; particularly when the land is fituated below 

 fifing ground, at the bafe of which fuch a ftratum is indi- 

 cated to be prefent, by the flowing of a natural fpring or 

 fountain. 



The means of removing the wetnefs in fuch a cafe as this, 



is obvioudy that of opening a communication between the 

 impervious or clofed and the open porous ftrata ; in order 

 that the injurious waters, which are pent up in the former, 

 may be permitted to pafs down into the latter. It is in this 

 way, it is faid, that marle-pits are drained in fome difcrifts, 

 as in Norfolk ; the beds of marie w-hich hold up the water 

 being cut through fo as to let it down into the great body 

 of fand on which they reft. In order to effeft which, a large j 

 earth borer naturally prefents itfelf ; and where the fubfoil 

 \ifrtc and open, and the furface-foil in a ftate of perennial 

 herbage, the operation of it, when duly direfted, and per- 

 formed in a fuitably dry feafon, may be found very effective 

 for the time, if not durable : in the practical management 

 of which a thick turf is to be raifed on the furface, and at 

 the bottom of the little pit which is made thereby, the borer 

 is to be inferted, the turf being returned into its place, as 

 foon as the work has been completed, in order to prevent 

 extraneous matters from getting into and obftrufting the 

 opening made by the borer. 



In land under the arable ftate, the operation may Bot, it 

 is fuppofed, be fo efficient ; but, however, if pits were funk 

 down beneath the foil, it is fuggcfted, fo as to fecure the 

 tops of the bores from the operations of tillage, as to the 

 depth of twelve or fourteen inches below the iurface, fods 

 being then laid over the tops o* the bores, and the excavated 

 foil or mould returned to their places, fuch drains might 

 continue efficient for a (hurt length of time. In cafes, how- 

 ever, where the fubfoil is fo tenacious as to ftand m need 

 of many drains to draw the water effeftually out of it, this 

 mode of draining, or the ufe of the borer, it is thought, 

 would appear a lefs eligible praftice. In the bottom of a 

 drain, whether open or covered, more or lefii current takes 

 place, by which earthy matters are hable to be waftied down 

 into the bores ; and thefe, in confequence, to be choaked 

 up. The operation and effefts of water falling down a pipe 

 or tube, and that of its rifing in them, are, it is thought, 

 perfectly different ; as rifing waters loofen, and force up- 

 wards the obftrufting matters they may meet with in their 

 pall'age ; whereas falling water, on the contrary, adds the 

 preflure of its own weight to that of the obftruftions ; and 

 by diffolving earthy matter, and thereby filling every chink 

 and cranny, tends to clofe up the pafiage in the raoft effec- 

 tual manner. Rifing waters too enter the pipe or tube in a 

 pure ftate, leaving their impurities below, while falling 

 water carries down with it all the foulnefs that its current is 

 capable of bearing to the mouths of the orifices of fuch 

 pipes or tubes. Hence, even under the firft mentioned cir- 

 cumftances, it is probable, it is faid, that the falutary efteds 

 of the bores would only be of a temporary nature. Befides, 

 where drains are neceffary to extraft the water from the fub- 

 foil, why, it is afl^ed, may it not be collefted into a body, 

 and be carried away upon the furface, where it may in many 

 cafes be applied to different ufeful purpofes .' 



Where, however, a fuperficial defcent cannot be had for 

 the water thus collefted, and an open ftratum lies beneath 

 the fubfoil, which is ready and fit to receive it, the making 

 of a communication between them becomes a point of great 

 advantage and importance ; as the trouble and expence of 

 raifing and removing the water by other means may be 

 avoided. 



In all fuch circumftances of land in thefe fituations, the 

 loweft point of the fpace of ground to be drained is to be 

 afcertained, in which it is advifed to fink a fliaft down into 

 the receiving open ftratum, which is then to be filled up, to 

 within a few feet of the furface, with rough clean ftones, 

 the roots of trees, or other open materials ; on the top of 



which 



