248 
On the Failure of Deep Draining, ^-c. 
state of the lands drained by him where no subsequent system 
had been tried, or on the condition of the drains, went quite to 
confirm his view. 
I will only further quote from old Mr. Tebbet, who made 
the Duke of Portland's water-meadows (no one will question his 
sag-acitv and experience) ; and is the result of his experience to 
show that the deeper the drains the more efficient their action ? 
No! 
Mansfiehl, Nottingham, January 28, 1847. 
Dkar Sir, — The underdraining- 1 liave directed ui)on strong- clay land I 
have done in various ways ; but the best way I have adopted is to put the 
drains 14 feet apart and 2 feet dee]). Some clays will draw 18 to 24 feet 
apart, and from 2 to 3 feet deep ; I have seen a great deal of good done by 
cutting deep drains for springs 8 and 10 feet dee]>, and there is much land 
here that cannot be made dry uidess the springs are removed. Yours, &c. 
T. Tkbbet. 
I will not occupy more space in quoting the opinions of persons 
who, having had sufficient opportunities of witnessing the effects 
of various depths of drainage, have formed unfavourable con- 
clusions respecting the use of deep drains on strong clay land at 
wide intervals ; though those of old Pearson, the spring-drainer 
in Essex (see his evidence before the House of Lords) ; of 
Smith of Deanston, who first forced upon the public the im- 
portance of thorough draining, and did show what could be done 
in strong land at moderate depths and distances; and of others 
are before me — these are accessible to the public in other forms. 
What I have said may, ])erhajis, be sufficient to excite attention, 
and set jieople on their guard against plunging into the expense 
of a svstem of drainage which has failed \n many instances, and 
might therefore cause disappointment in many more. 
William Bullock Webster. 
Hounsdown, near Southampton, April 29th, 1848, 
and 48, Charing Cross, London. 
Mr. Webster's statements agree with my own observation, and 
seem fully to bear out a caution which I suggested two years 
since as to the risk of draining at a depth exceeding 30 to 36 
inches in some of our strong English clays. Where such land 
lies in high ridges I have found that drains of that depth running 
along the furrows have been often sufficient at an interval of 30 
feet, because the upper parts of the ridges are self-drained by 
their own shajie ; and I certainly prefer leaving that undulating 
surface to the risk of injuring the productiveness of the soil by 
any sudden attempt at levelling it. — Pu. Pusey. 
