Improvement of Poor Lands- hij SuhsoU-Phnujlnnrj. 259 



not eaten off or carted home till late in spring- ; and perhaps I 

 should have lost the use of them altogether^ or spoiled my land by 

 cutting it up^ if I had not determined on an effectual remedy. 



I immediately ordered 18,000 draining-tiles, which fortunately 

 I procured from different kilns in the neighbourhood : they were 

 the footed tiles. The common size cost 2 guineas a thousand^ 

 besides carriage: they were 13 inches long; those for the main 

 drains cost 3 guineas a thousand, 6 inches in diameter, but only 

 12 inches long. I laid out the drains 30 feet apart ; the common 

 drains 26 inches deep, the main drains 30 inches. An immense 

 volume of water ran out of the drains before the tiles were put 

 in; andj in a short time after they were filled up, my sheep 

 returned to the fokh and my cart took the daily supply of turnips 

 for the cows. The whole field was underdrained at a cost of 

 50/., besides the carriage of the tiles^ that is only bl. per acre. 

 Of the 6 acres which had been subsoil-ploughed, 2 were drilled 

 with Chevalier barley and 4 with Tartarian oats. Red and white 

 clover, rye-grasSj and other grass- seeds, were sown after the land 

 had been harrowed, and the surface was rolled. The season 

 being moist, the clover grew very rapidly, and the barley suffered 

 in consequence. The crop, notwithstanding, was fair, reckoned 

 at about 4J- quarters to the acre ; which is more than is usually 

 grown in the neighbourhood. Had there been no clover^ 6 

 quarters might have been fairly expected from the length of the 

 straAV and ears. The Tartarian oats kept down the clover. I'he 

 straw rose above a man's head, and the crop was very heavy. It 

 is not threshed out, but we estimate it at 9 quarters to the acre. 

 From the yield of a small portion threshed, I have reason to 

 think it will exceed this. The field is now (Dec. 21st), after all 

 the rain which has fallen in autumn, as dry and sound as any 

 pasture I have. yiy cows and horses have been occasionally 

 turned into the field without making any impression ; and the old 

 water-furrows, which were dug out by my men^ from habit, are 

 quite dry, with fine clover in the bottomx of them. 



The conclusion to be drawn from this experiment is important, 

 as it shows that, wherever the subsoil is retentive of moisture, 

 complete underdraining is essential : and that the subsoil-plough 

 should never be used until the water can run off below. It also 

 shows what an improvement is made on moderate land by the 

 union of draining and subsoil-ploughing. The cost is nothing 

 when compared to the result. The 50/. I laid out on this field 

 I consider as the most profitable investment I ever made. The 4 

 acres which were not subsoil-ploughed are in artificial grass : as 

 soon as the field is again broken up, which will be in two or 

 three years, this portion shall also have the benefit of the subsoil- 

 plough. 



