BRAINS. 



101 



soil. If the object, be to pile the eartli from tlie drains into 

 heapSj with a view to composts, this purpose is completely 

 accomplished by means of the scraper.'' 



To make a covered drain, dig a channel betv/een thirty 

 and thirty-six inches wide at the top, and six inches, or the 

 breadth of a spade, at the bottom, and three feet deep, giv- 

 ing it just descent enough to make the v/ater run briskly. 

 Fill it half full or more of small stones, thrown in at ran- 

 dom, and cover them with a layer of straw, leaves, or the 

 small branches of trees wdth the leaves on them ; then fill 

 it up to a level v/ith the surface, with the earth that v/as 

 thrown out. 



In forming small drains, chiefly for retentive soils, the 

 ^.ommon plough may be used. A mode described in 

 Voung'^s Annals of Agriculture^ from very ample practice, is 

 his : he says, wdien he has marked the drains in a field, 

 usually a rod asunder, he dravvs two furrow^s v/ith a com- 

 mon plough, leaving a balk betwixt them, about fifteen 

 inches wide ; then, with a strong, double-breasted plough, 

 made on purpose, he splits that balk, and leaves a clean 

 furrow fourteen or fifteen inches below the surface ; but 

 where the depth of soil requires it, by a second ploughing 

 he sinks it to eighteen or twenty inches; it is then ready 

 for the land-ditching spade, with v/hich he dig&, fifteen 

 inches deep, a drain as narrow as possible. But the method 

 followed by some farmers, vv^ho do not possess ploughs made 

 on purpose for the w^ork, is this : w^ith their common 

 plough, drawn by four or five horses, and usually stirring 

 about four or five inches deep, they turn a double fiirrow, 

 throwing the earth on each side, and leaving a balk in the 

 middle. This balk they raise by a second bout, in the 

 same manner ; then they go in the open furrow twice, w^ith 

 their common double-breast plough, getting v/hat depth they 

 can. After this, they shovel out all the loose m.ould and 

 inequalities to the breadth of about a foot ; and thus having 

 gained a clear, open furrow, the depth varying according 

 to the soil and ploughs, but usually about eight or nine 

 inches,, they dig one spit with a draining spade sixteen 

 inches deep, thus gaining in the w^hole tv/enty-four or 

 twenty-six inches. But as this depth is seldom sufficient, 

 when necessary, they throw out another, or even two other 

 spits, which makes the whole depth from thirty to forty 

 inches. — London, 



Turf-covered drains may be made as follows Turn up a 

 deep furrow with a strong plough, clear the sod from the 



