( 573 ) 
X. — On Deep Draining. By the Right Hon. C. Arbuthxot. 
To Mr. Parker: 
My dear Sir, — lu the early part of this year I furnished you witri 
an account of the draining a paddock of seven acres, to the depth of 
four feet ; and Ij informed you that these seven acres, having been pre- 
viously very wet, had become quite dry after being thus drained. At 
the same time I told you that my success in that first experiment hiid 
determined me to treat in the same way other parts of my farm. 
I have accordingly since drained, to the depth also of four feet, a field 
of ten acres, which had always been under the plough ; and from the sur- 
face of which, water did not for a considerable time disappear after heavj 
rain. 
It had, I know, been objected to my experiment of four-feet drains, 
in the paddock of seven acres, that the shallow drains, \vhich as I stated 
had previously been placed there, might have had the effect of facili- 
tating the escape of the water from the land. Whether the shallow 
drains had such an effect I cannot pretend to say. At all events, it 
was satisfactory that the ten-acre field had never been drained at all ; 
80 that a perfect trial could be made of your system of placing drains 
much wider apart, and at a considerably greater depth than had been 
the usual, and I believe I mav add, the universal practice. 
The ten-acre field is now drained, and the effect is as complete as the 
seven acres. Previously, the rain did not penetrate the earth, but ran 
in great part off the surface, carrying with it vast quantities of the finest 
soil, and fiUing the ditches. This does not happen now : the rain-water 
sinks through the earth, and issues from the drains perfectly clear, being 
well filtered in its passage. Although I am an eye-witness of the effects 
produced by this drainage, I prefer giving yoxi the following account 
sent to me by my bailiff, Andrew Thompson, after heavy rains. It is 
the more satisfactory, as he was originally, as I mentioned, somewhat 
startled at the idea of laying drains four feet deep, but is now become a 
complete convert to your system of draining, and he writes as follows : — 
" The drains in the ten acres run capitally. They were running very 
fast yesterday morning, and have continued running ever since. The 
four-feet drains in the j)Rddocks also run well. They were, like the 
ten-acre field drains, throwing out of their main vast quantities of 
water. The shallow drains in all the fields were running yesterday also ; 
but as the rain fell in the night time, I cannot tell whether the deep or 
the shallow drains began to run first. I have no doubt the deep ones 
began first. I was very particular in examining the action of most of 
the drains on the farm. It was plain to see that the deep drains were 
carrying off more than double the quantity of water carried oft" by the 
shallow drains ; and, at this moment, the deep drains are discharging 
most water. The ten-acre field is now in excellent condition as to dry- 
ness. The middle of the space between the drains was wet yesterday 
morning, but this morning I found it dry. This plainly shows that the 
deep drams draw the water from a chstance of 22 feet and upwards. 
Mr. Parkes, when examined before a committee of the House of Lords 
•2 Q 2 
