320 



The " Buckeye " Ditcher. 



[July, 



owner having a large area of land needing drainage, or by art 

 agricultural engineer in a similar district who would contract 

 to drain land by the use of the " Buckeye " just as he now 

 contracts to drain with the mole-plough. 



Conclusions.— 1. The "Buckeye" Drainer proved itself 

 capable of excavating straight trenches for land drainage to any 

 depth not exceeding 4 ft. 6 in. 



2. It was not successful in excavating trenches with a 

 curve approximating to a right angle — which is sometimes 

 necessary where the main has to be led to its outfall; under 

 such conditions, it is better to build a catchpit at the angle of 

 the bend. 



3. Trenches were excavated at varying speeds according to 

 depth and moisture of subsoil; 3 ft. 6 in. drains in moist clay 

 were dug at the rate of 1.7 chains per running hour, and in dry 

 clay at 3.0 chains per hour; 2 ft. drains in dry clay at 9 chains 

 per hour. 



4. In the experiment the costs of working were high, 

 because of the conditions under which labour was employed., 

 An attempt has been made on a conservative basis to estimate 

 the costs of operating under commercial conditions, and they 

 compare favourably with present costs of hand digging. 



5. If the " Buckeye " Drainer were fitted with a wheel 

 and buckets capable of digging trenches 11 in. as a maximum 

 and 8 in. as a minimum, instead of 14J in. maximum and 

 11 J in. minimum, considerable economy in costs of operating 

 might be expected. 



6. The implement is not suitable for farmers to purchase 

 unless operating on a very large scale; it is suitable for use 

 by agricultural contractors or by landowners with large 

 estates needing drainage. 



In conclusion, my thanks are due to Mr. Arthur Amos, 

 M.A., of the School of Agriculture, Cambridge, for planning 

 the observations recorded here and assisting with the report; 

 to Mr. Thompson Close, the Ministry's Inspector, for valuable 

 help with the more technical details of the trial; to Mr. L. F. 

 Newman, M.A., of the School of Agriculture, Cambridge, for 

 kindly undertaking the analyses; and to Sir Douglas Newton 

 and his staff for facilitating the observations. 



