on certain strong Clay Subsoils. 
239 
which are apparently attended with success. Conclusions are 
drawn much too hastily ; and in this, as in other matters, persons 
of sanguine minds generalize upon very inconclusive data. If 
water is found to run from pipes laid 4 or 5 feet deep the triumph 
of deep draining is considered complete ; the true test, however, 
is not in the water thrown off, but in the condition in loJdch the 
soil is left for agricultural purposes. The real object in draining 
should be to put the land in such a condition that all the rain 
which falls should do good, or at least do no harm ; and this first 
requisite held primarily in view the problem next in importance 
is to effect this with the nicest adjustment of present and future 
economy. 
Error in new systems is quickly propagated. The person who 
has reduced theory to practice with real or imaginary success, is 
proud of his sagacity and ready to proclaim it: he, on the con- 
trary, who has failed, is by no means anxious to call the attention 
of the world to his mistakes. In our medical journals may be 
seen weekly accounts of remarkable cures just completed ; the 
members of the therapeutic art do not bring forward with 
equal eagerness their cases of remarkable homicide. Perhaps, 
therefore, while so many successful experiments in deep drainage 
are being pressed upon the public with enthusiasm, I shall not 
be doing ill service in turning to the other side of the account, 
and showing that "profit and loss" in the drainage-ledger should 
have entries as well in the debtor as creditor side. I have for 
some time devoted much attention to the subject, with a mind 
open to conviction and an anxious desire to arrive at truth, I 
have visited and conducted draining operations on almost every 
geological formation of this country ; I have also been in com- 
munication with many of the first agriculturists, who have been 
draining for years soils of every description, both deep and shal- 
low. On my own farm (of about 200 acres) I have tried various 
experiments. In one field I took equal quantities of land to test 
the deep against the shallow plan ; the soil, a strong brick 
earth. On part I sunk the drains 4 to 5 feet deep, and placed 
them at intervals of 40 feet ; upon the other portion the drains 
were 21 feet, and only 2 feet deep. This depth of 2 feet is less 
than I should have adopted for the regular drainage of the field, 
but I wished to try extremes against each other. On the deep 
drains I returned the clay, as the advocates for the deep system 
state that all water enters from below. These operations were 
effected last year and during the past winter. The water has 
been constantly standing between the deep drains, as it is at this 
lime, 29lh April; whilst the shallow-drained portion has been in 
a comparatively dry and healthy state. To this experiment, 
indeed, I can attach no great importance, as it has been made 
