474 
Report of the Judges on the 
drained. If any legislation for the prevention of floods is to be 
successful, the great injustice of taxing uplands for the benefit 
of the valleys, or of fining those low-lying localities which 
have effectually drained their districts, must be omitted from 
the scheme. 
A great extent of land in the district we visited is being 
underdrained, and much is being redrained. Save on the 
Croxden Abbey farms, where the landlord and the late tenant 
both held to the uniform depth of 4 feet, much shallower drain- 
ing is now general. And we must report that the four-feet 
drainage upon the clay pastures of Nothill was by no means a 
success. The drains are usually 10 yards apart. The herbage 
in the immediate vicinity of the drains was no doubt much 
improved, but farther from the drains it became coarser, until 
in the centre of the intervals which separated them, rushes 
very often appeared. It was stated to us that upon some very 
stiff clays all pipe-draining was a mistake, and that unless sup- 
plemented with a few stones upon the top of the pipe, a perfect 
cure could not be effected. Two-inch pipes appear to be aban- 
doned in favour of three-inch, thus showing the folly of those 
who advocated the sufficiency of one-inch pipes — pencil-cases 
as they were called ; — and main drains are now filled with four- 
and even six-inch pipes. The space between the drains is nar- 
rowed, 6 or 7 yards being considered the outside distance if 
thorough draining is to be secured. The depth is no longer 
4 feet ; but 3 feet, and even 2 feet are now advocated. 
Neither is there that general system of running all drains 
directly up and down the incline of the land ; but the old plan 
of placing the drain in the furrows of high-backed lands is 
still found to answer best. Without wishing to endorse all the 
opinions we have just recorded, we unhesitatingly express our 
conviction that the minimum depth of 4 feet, which was at 
one period generally insisted upon by Government inspectors, 
draining companies, and some great land-agents, is a decided 
mistake, and that it pays much better in draining heavy land 
to reduce the depth and augment the number of the drains. 
This remark does not apply to subsoil water or springs ; for in 
such cases no doubt a few deep drains will often do more good 
than a multiplicity of shallow ones. 
In confirmation of what we have stated, we insert the following 
remarks of Mr. Arthur Milner, the winner of the first prize in the 
small dairy farm class, whose opinion, as a sound practical farmer 
and a man of careful observation, will command attention: — 
"Some years ago draining was a subject which was discussed 
a great deal by the leading agriculturists of the country at 
the various agricultural meetings. Since that time there have 
been ample opportunities to experiment on the various systems 
