94 



AgncAiltiirc of Scotland. 



llio Avalor, or, wlioro IIk^ drain lias failcMl in every part to roacli tlio 

 porous stratum, to ratcli additional watcM' to carry alonq^ its lino. 

 No materials liav<^ hccn found (Mjual to stonos lor rdlinj»- thoso 

 drains, and tlu^ use of other substances has almost invariably b(*en 

 attended by ultimate disappointment. It was a common practice 

 to make tlu^se trtniches of a s^ieat width, and to fdl them within a 

 short space of the surface ; but, l)esides that such drains <2:ave oc- 

 casion to too lar*2;e a size of stones beinij; used, and, by consumiu<i; 

 also an unn(u'essarynund)er, increased mat(M ially the expense, they 

 were much exposed lo accident, from beino" tlisturl)ed, and thus 

 injured, by the plou<2,h. When properly executed, these drains are 

 seldom made wider than ten inches at the bottom, when a reo u- 

 Lnly-forined conduit is held unne('essary ; and in this case the 

 stones are brokcui to not more than two ])ounds weio;ht, carefully 

 deposited wiih the hand, and l)eln!i' closely fnilshed on tlietop with 

 small brokcni stones, or r()uj!;li j^raAcl, and sll<2;litly covered Avith 

 straAV, they ought in no case to be tilled nearer the surface than 

 1() to 18 inclies, 



Furrow-draining* has also been extensively applied on the (l it 

 alluvial and thin clay districts of Scotland Avithin this period^ 

 particularly in the dlstrk'lsof Stirling;, Perth, and Ayrshire, where 

 the liber;\lity of projnletors has l)een, in many instances, very 

 properly called into exercise to assist in an operation Avhicli can 

 only be properly effected through such instrumentality. These 

 drains have been generally applied to every furroAV Avhere the 

 ridges are Avide, and their common depth is from 24 to 30 inches. 

 Tiles have been extensively used as the medium of carrying- off 

 the AVater in such drains; and, of late, from the greater (4ieapness 

 with Avhicli they can be furnished — since the application of ma- 

 chinery in tlieir manufacture by that eminent friend to agriculture, 

 tlie Marquis of TAveeddale, and some other ingenious indh iduals — 

 tlieir use has been \vy\ gon(Mallv c\t(Midcd. M(n'e particularly 

 Ave ought to mention, thai, within these xcry few years, numerous 

 tile- works have been brought into operation, Avith this A'icAV, in 

 East Lothian, Avhere this system of draining, and that to be imme- 

 diately noticed, have been veiy extensively practised, and are in 

 d ail y-gro v»' i n g r eput e . 



The system to Avhicli Ave allude, and Avhlch has latterly found 

 much favour, is an in)})r<)vement upon this last, ])erfected and first 

 extensively practised in Scotland l)y the ingenious Mr. Smith, of 

 Deanston in Stirlingshire. This intelligent and enter})rlslng gen- 

 tleman has, by means of this system of draining, and tlie free use 

 of the subsoil-plough — of Avhich useful implement he is also the 

 inventor — converted a formerly barren, cold, and impervious soil 

 into useful turnip-land. His exam])le has been laudably folloAved 

 by others ; and, although the system has not yet had time to be 



