332 
On the Drainage of Land. 
after burning ; a chain will require 72, say 75, as there is always 
a little waste; they will be 2s. 2>d. hauling one-third of a mile; 
4c?. making the drain, putting in and filling up from Is. to l^. 4ci., 
an average of 1^. 2d., which makes a total of S*. 9o?. per chain; 
dribble or rubble cost as follows: — digging stones per yard is. ; 
breaking ditto 4d. ; the drain filled a foot deep and 8 inches 
wide, will take \\ yard of stone per chain ; filling and hauling 
\\ yard of stone \ a mile, 1*. GcZ. ; expense of making drain, 
putting stones in, and filling up, 2s., which is 5s. 6(/. per chain ; 
or with tiles 7J yards apart, 30 chain at 3*. ^d., bl. 12s. Gd. per 
acre; with stones the same distance apart, 8/. 5s., a very consider- 
able difference, and more than I had an idea of, for I never made 
a minute calculation before, as I only made between 20 and 
30 chain of stone, which quite satisfied me I should not be able 
to drain the farm and keep other work up in any reasonable time 
without tiles ; perhaps stones could be dug cheaper in some places 
than here, as they are here very rubbly and dirty, requiring a 
great deal of trouble to get them clean and fit to put in. I have 
compared this sort of stone-draining with tiles, because it is the 
one most generally in use in this as well as other districts, and by 
some thought preferable, but I consider tiles best. 
Wall-drains are too expensive, except for mains, and for these, 
tiles are much cheaper. There was a considerable length of it 
done on my farm about 30 years back, which I am told cost 
2s. 6d. per pole, or 10*. per chain ; now contrast any of the above 
prices with that of clay-draining, which costs from 1 \d. to Is. 4.d. 
per chain, an average of Is. according to the pi'esent price of 
labour, which will drain an acre for 30*., which is less by one- 
third than the expense of hauling tiles and putting them in, and 
drain 5 acres at less expense than one with stone. I have never 
seen a draining-plough for cutting out drains, but if it is appli- 
cable to any kind, it must be equally so for clay, to take the two 
top draws or cuts of soil out, but I think the tool above described 
must be used for the bottom slice, as that requires to be cut true 
to fit the blocks ; but if the plough could be used to advantage 
I should not be surprised if some clay soils could be drained for 
\l. per acre. Turf-drains are about the same expense as clay- 
drains. 
The next point is the direction of drains, the meaning of 
which I take to be the manner in which they are laid out, whether 
in the direction of the greatest fall, or obliquely to it, or quite 
across it ; these have all their advocates, I am aware, but I have 
no doubt in my own mind, from the way in which I have seen 
drains act, that they ought to be made in the direction of the 
greatest fall for the following reasons: — first, because that is the 
quickest way to get the water off, and the water naturally perco- 
