238 
On the Failure of Deep Draining 
strong clays, the conditions arising from local positions and their 
chemical components are so various, that they cannot all be 
placed in one category as to the facility or resistance they offer to 
the percolation of water. Again, in the case of fine rich grass- 
land on the alluvial, and therefore more pervious soils, I condemn 
the practice of sinking drains to depths of 4 and 5 feet, as render- 
ing the ground too dry for the roots of grasses — and exposing 
them to suffer severely in seasons of continued drought. The 
same objection is applicable, and perhaps in a still stronger 
degree, to moss or peat lands, excepting where they are thickly 
covered or mixed with some heavier material, such as clay or 
marl, that has a tendency to retain the moisture. The system of 
draining deeply in all these instances has not the novelty claimed 
for it by its modern advocates, but has been tried years since in 
many parts of England and abandoned because it was found 
signally to fail. 
Since Elkington, indeed, first drew attention to the full 
importance of draining, a vast number of experiments have been 
tried upon all the geological formations of this island ; and could 
we but have before us a fair statement of the entire results, we 
should be furnished, I believe, with sufficient data for our future 
guidance. 
Almost every system that has in turn been introduced has been 
attended in some cases with success, and thus has found advocates, 
and had a fictitious importance for a time attached to it: each one 
has, on the other hand, in some cases failed ; nor is it reasonable 
to expect like results where conditions are totally different. 
The prevailing custom until lately was, no doubt, to put in drains 
much too shallow. I am perfectly aware of the importance of 
permitting the water to filtrate through a sufficient depth of soil 
to leave its valuable properties behind; I know that, under the 
old system, shallow draining in some cases did harm by carrying 
away too rapidly the soluble parts of the manure. But whilst it 
is Vv'ell to avoid the errors of our predecessors it is advisable to 
exercise caution lest we fall into mistakes of an opposite kind. 
A system of drainage can only be tested by its results in quantity 
and quality of produce, and its permanent efficiency only by the 
observation of these results through a series of years : for in some 
cases deep draining has appeared to answer, in the first and 
second years after laying down the tiles, but has subsequently 
proved wholly inefficient. The drains upon examination have 
been discovered to be unimpeded, but the water has ceased to find 
its way down to them. 
We have scarcely had time yet since the re-introduction of deep 
draining upon those soils to which my objections apply, to be 
able to determine the permanent value even of experiments 
