32 On the Deamton frequent Drain System. 



neighbourhood, was below an average, yet the crop in this field ex- 

 ceeded an average, and yielded about 12 tons per acre. The field 

 is equally drained in every part. I filled up the tile-drains with 

 porous materials, such as stones, moor-turf reversed, and tops of 

 thinnings of young plantations, to the exclusion of the retentive clay 

 which held the water. The crop of potatoes was so equal through- 

 out the field, that I am unable to pronounce positively which part 

 was the best ; but I am inclined to give the preference to that por- 

 tion where Mr. Smith's subsoil-plough was used. Since the pota- 

 toes were taken up the land has not been ploughed or ridged up, 

 but remains perfectly flat ; and I observe, where Mr. Smith's sub- 

 soil-plough was used, that no water whatever, notwithstanding the 

 wetness of the season, has stood upon the land; where trench- 

 ploughing was adopted, and a portion of the clay brought to the sur- 

 face, after hea^ y falls of rain the water has stood for a time in hollow 

 places ; and here the land, in consequence, would seem to be rather 

 soured. The field will be sown out this spring with oats and grass- 

 seeds, and I shall watch with anxiety the future effect of the past 

 different treatment. 



In the mean time I have relet the farm : the outlay in draining 

 and extra ploughing cost me ^6. 18.s. 4d. an acre ;* but the field in 

 question, which was valued at 4s. 6d. an acre to the out-going tenant, 

 is rented by the in-coming tenant at 20s. an acre on a lease of 14 

 years. 



On a small field of very retentive clay, of an hungry and bastard 

 kind, intermixed with rusty gravel, I tried, six years ago, the expe- 

 riment of trenching with the spade after close and careful draining ; 

 I buried the surface soil, which was poor and exhausted, and I 

 brought the subsoil to the top from the depth of 18 inches. I limed 

 this land and sowed it out with rape and grass seeds. It has been 

 very unproductive ever since, and all my expenditure upon it, 

 hitherto, has been thrown away ; for, though dry, it bears no more 

 grass than before the draining. I think, however, that the surface- 

 soil is now mellowed by exposure to the atmosphere ; and I am 



£. s. d. 



70 roods of drainmg, cutting, laying the tiles, and upfilUng, 



at 4d. per rood 134 



1500 tiles per acre, at 30s. per thousand 2 5 0 



Carnage of do. 6s. do. .090 



Do. of turf, &c., for covering the tiles, "j 



70 roods, and cutting do., at 6d. per rood, gives > 1 15 0 

 per acre J 



5 12 4 



Ploughing with the Deanston plough, with four horses ..160 



Cost per acre , , £6 18 4_ 



