On Thorough- Drcdning. 
33 
family a hundred years back. And as I believe in no county is this kind 
of work done better than in Suffolk, I send you the manner in which my 
father has had this work done for the last half century. He draws his 
ditches within 4 yards of each other, digs the ditch out two spit or 18 to 
20 inches deep with the wide spade, and 10 inches with the narrow spit, 
making the total depth of ditch 28 to 30 inches. The soil is a close 
tenacious clay ; he has bridges with joints, which are pieces of wood 
made the size of the lower drain, viz., about 8 inches deep, 3J inches 
wide at top, tapering to about 2 inches at bottom ; these are drawn along 
in the ditch by a lever, and the soil taken out with the narrow spade is 
then laid on the bridges, and then rammed down light and close over 
the bridge, which is then drawn forward and more soil rammed, leaving 
a hollow space, with a tough, compact arch of clay. Some people have 
objected to this plug or ramming system, stating that the water will not 
penetrate the earth thus rammed ; but to prove how durable this plan 
is, as well as eff'ectual, in the draining of the land, my father is now 
hollow-draining a field that was hollow-drained the same depth, viz. 30 
inches, twenty years ago, and rammed, and during the twenty years has 
never had occasion to draw a water-furrow on the land, as it was absorbed 
by the soil, and ran off' in the hollow drains. He never has during that 
time known any water to run or stand in the furrows. I think this is 
strong evidence of thorough draining having long existed in Suff'olk. 
At Radwinter, in Essex, on a farm belonging to my wife's mother, 
after having dug the earth out to form the ditch, we lay a plug of peat, 
which is obtained from the fens in Cambridgeshire. These pieces of 
peat are cut to a proper size and length, and laid in the lower or narrow 
part of the drain, this part of the ditch being narrower below than at 
top. The sod of peat rests on the two sides of the ditch, leaving a hollow 
space below of about 3 inches, and we find this a very good plan ; but if 
the soil is a loose sort, so that the sides of the ditch will not stand sound, 
we are obliged to fill up with straw and bushes. 
Yours faithfully, 
Ickleton, Saffron Walden, Samuel Jonas, 
April 1, 1843. 
II. Hertfordshire Draining. By W. Flack. 
To Ph. Pusey, Esq. 
Sir, — In the last number of the ' Agricultural Journal ' you 
mention having requested Mr. Ransome to make some inquiry 
as to the length of time the practice of thorough or frequent 
draining could be traced back in the county of Suffolk ; and as I 
happen to have it in my power to show it has been practised 
much longer in this neighbourhood than is there stated, I take 
the liberty of sending you the following statement. 
I have in my possession an old day-book of Mr. Robert 
Climenson's (Mrs. Flack's great-grandfather), who occupied what 
was then the most considerable farm in this parish, in which there 
VOL. IV. D 
