30 



Farming of Lancashire. 



He then describes the drains made by him as 30 inches deep ; 

 u inches, U inches wide at the top, and tapering to 



2-J inches wide at the bottom,, the underside 

 of the turf when wedged in being about 

 6 inches from the bottom of the drain, and 

 calculates that the cutting, laying, and 

 fitting in the turf can be done for 4d. a 

 rood of 7 yards ; so that the whole expense 

 of draining a statute acre will amount to 

 17. 15s., the drains being 10 yards apart: 

 — thus, 



s. d. 



28 turves for 1 rood of 7 yards . . . .01 

 Cutting drains, laying and fitting in the turf . . 0 4 

 Carting turves to the field and clay from the drains 0 1 



For 1 rood .06 



A statute acre, say 70 x 70 (4900 square yards) has 7 drains, 70 yards long 

 each = 70 roods = 35s. 



These drains have been known to last perfectly sound in clay 

 for 50 or 60 years ; and, saving vermin, there is no reason why 

 they should not continue efficient for a much longer period. 



Mr. Ffrance has, within the last two years, established a tilery 

 on his property ; he now drains his clay lands with tiles 3 feet 

 deep, and instead of using collars places a turf under the joints of 

 the tiles where necessary, and turves over the pipe-tiles to cover 

 the crevice, and relieve the tile from all pressure. This mode of 

 using tiles and turves together does, in fact, make a double drain, 

 which, under all ordinary circumstances, is not likely to get out of 

 order; and the cost of the turves over and above the tiles is not 

 more than 5s. per thousand, including carting, &c. 



The custom of paring with a push plough, and burning the 

 moss for oats after draining, prevails amongst the tenant-farmers 

 in this district, and they pursue this for two or three years in suc- 

 cession ; then, for a change, take a crop of potatoes or seeds, 

 always burning the surface till the moss is reduced in thickness. 

 On a farm of the Duke of Hamilton's, on Nateby-moss, with 

 which 1 am acquainted, the practice is, after draining, paring, 

 and burning — 



1. Oats — if dirty, the burning repeated ; 



2. Green crops, turnips, potatoes, &c, with farm-yard manure and 



guano ; 



3. Marled and ploughed for spring wheat or barley ; and 



4. Seeds for mowing or pasture to lie one year, and then pared and 



burnt again for oats as before. 



Proceeding northwards towards Garstang, and from thence to 

 Lancaster, we come into the extensive property of the Duke of 



