25-1 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



into permanent pores or channels for the water 

 falling upon such land to reach the drains. — 

 There is always some encouragement in the 

 simple fact, that one drop of water is sure, in its 

 natural course, to follow another. There are, 

 however, undoubtedly, some soils, where, from 

 their impervious character, draining would be 

 almost hopeless. It is difficult to pronounce be- 

 forehand what soils come under this description. 

 It is certain that many soils, which were consi- 

 dered beyond the reach of this species of im- 

 provement, have been subjected to it with great 

 and permanent advantage. In many cases, the 

 character of the soil, whether suitable or unsuit- 

 able for drainage, might be easily ascertained 

 bj" sinking a hole of the depth to which it is 

 proposed to drain, and, securing it from the ac- 

 cess of rain, or of water running upon the sur- 

 face, ascertain whether any water would filter 

 into it." 



Mr. Colman then goes on to tell us bow this 

 important and expensive business is effected in ; 

 England. Why might not the same means be 

 resorted to in this country ? We believe if well 

 employed, it would prove very profitable both to 

 the undertakers and the cultivators. He says : j 



"The drainage of land upon the most im- 

 proved principles and method, may be considered 

 in England as a branch of engineering, to the 

 successful application of which both science and 

 much practice and experience are requisite. — I 

 For an individual to undertake it upon any ex- 1 

 tensive scale, without sufficient knowledge and 

 skill, would be likely to terminate in disappoint- 

 ment and loss. It would seem as though no 

 better plan could be adopted than that which 

 has been recently undertaken, viz : the organi- 

 zation, with an ample capital, of a draining as- 

 sociation. This company, under the name of 

 the West of England and South Wales Land 

 Draining Company, propose to establish, in dif- 

 ferent and convenient parts of the country, where 

 the clay is abundant and suitable, tileries for the 

 manufacture of pipe tiles; they mean to secure 

 to themselves always the services of accom- 

 plished and practical engineers, and, having pro- 

 per tools and experienced workmen, they will 

 undertake the effectual drainage of whole farms, 

 guaranteeing that the work shall be executed 

 in a correct and perfect manner; and in this 

 way at a great saving of trouble, and at a great 

 deal less expense than it could be effected by in- 

 dividual effort and enterprise. It is difficult to 

 conceive of an arrangement from which, if skil- 

 fully and liberally managed, more advantages 

 may result. An extensive and thorough system 

 of drainage will, beyond all question, effect for 

 England the greatest and best improvement, in 

 an agricultural view, which can possibly be 



looked for. 'The effect produced on the crops 

 of close, retentive soils, after they have been 

 perfectly drained and subsoil ploughed,' says 

 Mr. Morion, 1 is most astonishing. The produce 

 is so much increased, that it will, in many in- 

 stances, pay the expenses in a year or two; and 

 wet soils, which seemed to be strong clay when 

 wet, become friable, and even light, when com- 

 pletely subsoil drained, are easily cultivated, and 

 light enough for producing turnips to be fed off 

 with sheep. Complete or perfect drainage is 

 the foundation of all improvements in husban- 

 dry ; it should, therefore, be the first step which 

 we take in attempting to improve or ameliorate 

 the soil.' 



"In looking at a field or piece of land, which 

 is proposod to be drained, the first thing to be 

 ascertained is, what fall can be had for removing 

 the water. A fall of one in two hundred is 

 stated, by practical men, to be the extreme on 

 one side; but it is desirable to get, if possible, 

 one in a hundred. With such an inclination, 

 the drains are more likely to be kept free fiom 

 sediment. The next step to be taken is, to lay 

 out and form a main ditch or drain, into which 

 all the small drains shall empty themselves, and 

 the water be carried off. This, of course, must 

 be in the lower part of the land, and it is gen- 

 eralty advised to let it remain open, that the 

 mouths of the small drains may be observed and 

 watched. Where left open, as at the model farm 

 of Lord Ducie, there the inclination of the sides 

 is so easy that they are cultivated to the water's- 

 edge. It is advised, in other cases, to let the 

 side drains empty into a common main drain, 

 which is to be covered ; and this main drain is 

 to empty itself into an open ditch. The prin- 

 cipal reason assigned for having all the under- 

 ground parallel drains empty themselves into 

 the main, and through that into the ditch, in- 

 stead of each emptying itself into the ditch, is, 

 that while, in the latter case, a hundred mouths 

 would require to be kept open and clear of rub- 

 bish, in the former only one has to be attended 

 to; and also that, during the summer months, 

 some of the parallel drains would become dry, 

 and allow the entrance of moles and rats, which 

 would soon stop them up ; but that the quantity 

 of water which always issues from a main drain 

 would forbid their entrance, and thus hinder 

 them from injuring it or the others * Where 

 the bottom of the drain, however, is formed with 

 broken stones, there is no danger from this cir- 

 cumstance ; and where the pipe drains of only 

 one inch bore are used, they do not admit of the 

 entrance of vermin. On Mr. Smith's plan, how- 

 ever, the main drains are covered as well as the 

 side drains, and the entrance or outlet of the 

 main drain may be protected by an iron grating, 

 or a foot or two of broken stone laid down at 



* Morton. 



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