OF EAKTH. 



45 



upon it. Neither the almond nor the hazel will endure a wanton mould ; 

 and though it see;n a paradox that any soil should be too rich, (upon 

 which some critics have suspected the text in Theophrastus, which asserts 

 it twice in two successive chapters,) it is yet a truth indubitable, and holds 



methods too expensive. Hence I took the idea of the sod drains, and the improvement of 

 the tools. Mr. Young, in the second edition of his justly-esteemed Six Months' Northern 

 Tour, calls me the inventor of this method of draining. All the merit I claim, is that of 

 having introduced, together with an amendment of their construction, the application of 

 these celebrated tools to a mode of draining with sods or turf, where stone, brick, or even 

 brush-wood is extremely scarce and dear. 



" Wherever this is the case, I can, from my own experience, recommend the hollow drains 

 covered in the above manner. 



" I must observe, that, in loose, crumbly soils, where the wetness does not arise from the 

 retention of water by an under-stratum of clay, but from springs, these drains are im- 

 proper: for such lands they should be made of brick or stone. On the contrary, which is 

 most commonly the case, when the wet is prevented from passing off by an under-stratum 

 of clay, marl, or a mixture of both, these sod drains are excellent. 



" For if the whole staple or soil is cut through, as it ought to be, the narrow tool will be 

 wholly worked in a solid body, and leave a firm compact ledge, or shoulder, of six inches 

 wide on each side, for the sod to rest on. Fig. 4, plate 2. The strength with which the 

 sods are supported, and their depth in the ground, will effectually prevent their removal 

 by any weight on the surface, and secure them from all effects of the weather. Being at 

 their least depth, twelve inches below the surface, they will also be beyond the reach of 

 the plough. 



" With respect to the shape of the narrow drains, it will be scarce necessary to observe, 

 that their great depth and contracted width enable them to draw in the moisture of the 

 earth, and, at the same time, to keep themselves clear and open. 



" The tools should be formed of well-wrought iron, and made with great care and exact- 

 ness. Including the shaft, the narrow tool should weigh 12lb. *. 



References to the Plates. 



" Plate \,Jig. 1. A field with the drains properly laid out. AAA the main drains ; aaa 

 the narrow sod drains. Fig. 2. A brick drain. Proper, whether the bottom be hard or soft. 



" Fig. 3. A brick drain, formerly recommended when the bottom was hard, as of clay or 

 marl, but now discontinued for reasons already given. 



" Fig. 4. A narrow drain ; a a the shoulders for the sods to rest upon ; b the cut made by 

 the narrow spade. This, and ^g. 2 and 3, may be measured by the scale of plate 2. 



" Fig. 5. The wooden frame to be laid in the trench. It is made of two oak boards, (inch 



• These tools are made by Mr. Benjamin Royle, smith, in Dolefield, Danesgate, Manchester ; and by Jlr 

 William Staveley, smith, in Stonegate, York. 



