200 



AGRICULTURE. 



Bt)OK I ► 



CHAPTER I. 



OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL AND SURFACE. 



Draining. — This is of three kinds. 1st, The draining of 

 springs, or water issuing from the bowels or internal strata of 

 the earth ; 2dly, The draining of lakes, bogs, fens, or morasses, 

 or water stagnated in hollows or among the surface strata; and 

 3dly, Surface, or Essex draining ; which is used for preventing, 

 certain soils from being over moist in times of rain, &c. 



The draining of springs depends upon the knowledge of the 

 internal strata, or layers of soil, stone, or gravel, under the sur- 

 face. This may be obtained from observing the manner in 

 which the springs burst forth ; from the appearance when the 

 ground is broken to any depth, as in quarries, gravel-pits, banks 

 of rivers, &c. ; by digging pits, or by boring with the auger. 

 In the practice of this mode of draining, the general method 

 is, to intercept the springs, by cutting drains across declivities, 

 either of such a depth as to penetrate into or through the strata 

 containing the water ; or, when the drain cannot conveniently 

 be dug so deep, the same thing is accomplished by digging pits 



