DRAINING RAND. 
113 
were made kept the field continually wet; c, c, c, 
covered ditches 2 feet wide and 20 inches deep. 
These ditches were made of common field stones, 
from the size of a man’s head to quite small ones. 
A channel was cut for the water to pass hv, pla¬ 
cing stones of the proper size oq each side of the 
bottom of the drain, and one to cover them, filled 
in with small stones to the height of 4 to 6 inches, 
levelled off, and a sod then placed grass-side down 
over the stone; then filled up with earth. Two 
of these drains are good at this time, one of them 
I have taken up this fall to be relaid. Ground 
mice are great enemies to drains ; in dry weather 
they make nests in them, which stops the channel, 
and causes the water to break up through the 
earth. 
The expense of draining the six acres alluded 
to, was not over $50. It was done by the laborers 
of the farm, and the stone was pitched from the 
adjoining field. The ground had never been crop¬ 
ped, for the most of it was a perfect quagmire for 
nine months in the year, overgrown with bogs and 
hassocks, and its value for farming purposes not 
over $10 an acre, before being drained. 
The first crop I raised was in 1835. It was corn 
manured in the hill with street manure ; the prod¬ 
uce was small, owing to an unfavorable season. 
The next spring I sowed with oats, which made a 
good crop—the straw grew nearly as heavy as it 
could stand. The produce was 63^- bushels per 
acre. On two thirds of the oat-stubble I spread 
about 15 wagon-loads of fermented manure to the 
acre; on the other third at the rate of 60 loads of 
swamp earth per acre, and sowed 10 bushels of 
wheat. The wheat was as large as it could well 
grow, and although the rust injured it, and caused 
the berry to shrink, it averaged 34 bushels per 
acre. Wheat was then worth $2 a bushel. I 
was therefore well paid for my outlay in draining. 
The land was then laid down to grass, and has 
cut very heavy burdens of the best quality of hay 
for several years, and I now value it at $100 per 
acre, and it is well worth that sum for farming 
purposes. 
In addition to these six acres, I have drained 
about fourteen more, with nearly similar results. 
All my drains heretofore, with the exception of a 
short one made this fall, have been made of stone. 
In future I shall use wood, (the boughs of red ce¬ 
dar,) the more durable the wood the better. Be¬ 
fore describing the manner of making the wood 
drains, allow me to give cuts of three instruments 
which I have caused to be made for the purpose 
by a common blacksmith in the neighborhood. 
Drain Scooj?s.-t-(Fig. 23.) 
Fig. 23, scoops 14 inches long, and 3 inches 
wide at the top, with sockets at the ends, into 
which handles of any convenient length can be in¬ 
serted. 
Drain Spade.—(Fig. 24.) 
Fig. 24 is a spade with a blade 13 inches long 
1-| inches wide at the end, and 3 inches wide at 
the top. At a is an iron spur 3 inches long, run¬ 
ning out of the iron shaft, on which to place the 
foot to push the spade into the earth. The top 
of the shaft is made with a socket to insert a wood¬ 
en handle, from which is extended a small iron 
piece with a hole in it at b , through which a rivet 
runs into the handle to keep it fast, and from slip¬ 
ping out of the socket. 
Drain Fork.—(Fig. 25.) 
Ditch.—(Fig, 26.) 
Fig. 25 is a drain fork with prongs 2| inches 
long, and 2 inches apart from each other, with a 
point to be inserted in a wooden handle about 3^ 
feet in length. 
With these instruments I have had made a short 
drain, which satisfies me that they are preferable 
to stone when the quantity of water to be dis¬ 
charged is not large, and I think the mice will not 
as easily injure them as the stone drains ; and they 
are made in about half the time that a stone drain 
will require. My ditcher, who has made drains 
all his life in England, says he has known them 
to stand there 18 years, when the black thorn and 
willow was used for filling up. 
A ditch should first be dug 
with a common spade not 
less than 12 to 14 inches deep, 
and about two spits wide, Fig. 
26, at a ; then the narrow 
spade, Fig. 24, is to be used 
to make the trench b , to re¬ 
ceive the wood. This should 
be 10 to 12 inches deep, and 
3 to 4 inches wide. After all 
hauled out by the scoops, Fig. 
to be cut into proper lengths, so as to lay straight, 
(say 6 to 9 feet,) and then placed in the trench as 
close as they will lie, and pressed down with the 
fork. Fig. 25, even with the bottom of the first 
ditch. A sod is then placed over the wood with 
the grass side down, and pressed close with the 
feet. It is now ready to fill up with dirt. Great 
care should be taken to do the WPtk well—its du¬ 
rability depends upon this. 
When a field requires much draining, it may 
be done when plowed in lands eight paces wide, 
by using the narrowed tool at onpe in the furrows, 
between the ridges, after a little clearing out, ora 
double mould-board plow may be used to advan¬ 
tage. 
The expense of draining with wood will vary 
with the different kinds of soil. In England where 
this kind of draining is practised to a considerable 
extent, a good hand will receive 2s. 6d. sterling 
per day, finding himself. If taken by the job the 
price varies from Is. to 3s. per chain. 
The farmer who contemplates draining, had, if 
possible, better employ an experienced hand, one 
accustomed to that kind of labor; if he is so fortu- 
the loose earth is 
23, the boughs are 
