1922.] The Beginnings of Field Drainage. 587 



and these covered again with another layer of bricks crosswise.* 

 At that time also something very like the principle of the mole 

 drain had been discovered — ' ' the best and cheapest Method 

 of draining Clayey Land" and one that "will do as well in^ 

 Pasture, Arable or Wood Lands, as in Gardens." The opera- 

 tion is thus described by Stephen Switzer, its advocate: "Be 

 provided then of three of four narrow Spades, about eight 

 Inches wide and fifteen Inches long, with a Handle put into 

 a Socket and King, with a Tread round it to set the Foot upon 

 to dig, and at every twenty Foot asunder if the Ground lye 

 near a Level (which is the worst Case that can attend this 

 Method) dig a narrow Trench of about ten Inches or a Foot 

 wide at most, quite through your Gardens at twenty foot 

 asunder .... and a full Foot and half within the Clay ; take a 

 wooden Eowl of about five Inches Diameter at one End, of 

 four Foot long and four Inches Diameter at the other; and 

 placing this Eowl at the Bottom of your Trench, take the Clay 

 you had before dug out, and with a Eammer ram it in round 

 the Eowl, which will form a perfect Tube; and the Eowler 

 being bigger at one end than the other, you may by the Help 

 of a Chain fastened to the bigger End, pull it out of the 

 Tube, so that proceeding at four Foot at a Time, you go 

 through your whole Trench or Trenches from End to End, 

 and all over your Garden; taking great Care to keep your 

 Drains or Ditches on the Extremitv of vour Gardens, and at 

 the End of the Tubes open. 



"But this is not all, I should have premis'd that there 

 should be a handle of about four Foot long, mortis 'd into the 

 great End of the Eow^l, by which the "Workmen shoggle about 

 the Eowl, so as to loosen it in the Tube, by which Means the 

 said Eowl will be the easier draw^n out bv the Chain aforesaid. 



"I should have also set down, that before vou move this 

 Eowl you take a Puncher made in the form of a Pyramid 

 a little broke off at the Top, about three Foot long, three 

 Inches Diameter at the great End, and one at the small, w^ith 

 which Instrument (made of Wood as it is) you are to punch 

 a Hole through the ramm'd Clay upon the Top of your Eowl, 

 through w^iich Perforation all the Water is to pass, that comes 

 from the Ground above, dow^n into the under-ground Drain or 

 Tube below. 



" And in order to keep this perforated Hole open, and not 

 to be choaked up by the Earth's tumbhng into it, you are to 



* Stephen Swiizer, Practical Fruit Gardener (^17*24). pp. 24, 25- A Hiiiitci- 

 Georgical E^say>> {\110-12),lU,Ubf. 



