1861 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
339 
Draining—Why—Where—How. 
.Concluded frompp. 36, 70, 105, 137, 169, 201, 233, 264, 297.1 
In the nine chapters already given on this im¬ 
portant subject, and in sundry basket items, 
we have perhaps treated it as fully as is expedi¬ 
ent in a periodical, and we therefore purpose to 
suspend the regular continued discussion—but 
not to stop talking or writing about draining. 
Farmers are beginning to learn something of the 
advantages—the profit—of removing excess of 
moisture from their land, to facilitate its culti¬ 
vation, to lengthen its season, and to greatly 
augment its productive capability. In England 
•this subject is so thoroughly understood, that 
the Government has already loaned some Thir¬ 
ty Millions of Dollars to farmers to be expend¬ 
ed solely in tile draining, and to be paid back in 
small annual instalments during 20 to 50 years 
to come. And this has not gone to marsh or 
swamp draining alone, but most of it has been 
loaned on land as dry as the average of Ameri¬ 
can farms. The same course will be ultimately 
pursued here, though our wide-a-wake people 
will hardly wait for government aid. We shall 
keep agitating the subject, and from time to time 
present such information as we can. Hundreds 
of draining queries have been addressed to us 
this year, all of which have been answered, we 
believe, in some of the previous chapters. We 
will cheerfully answer any further questions. 
But there are many particulars connected with 
the subject, and those who have become inter¬ 
ested, should procure one or both of the two 
American books recently published, viz: 
French’s Farm Drainage, and Klippart’s Land 
Drainage. The former is a very good work of 
384 pages, costing $1; the latter, just issued, 
comprises 475 pages, costs $1.25, and is rather 
more full than the former. (The books can be 
sent post-paid at the above regular prices.) Our 
newer subscribers ought to read the articles in 
the present volume of the Agriculturist , if they 
can get them from a neighbor, or afford to buy 
the back numbers.-We add here an item or 
two crowded over from last month: 
DISCOVERING FAULTS IN DRAINS. 
As we have constantly advised, drains should 
always be laid down carefully and thoroughly, 
and every failure guarded against as far as pos¬ 
sible. In case of any accidental failure, how¬ 
ever, it is seldom necessary to begin at one end 
and take up the whole drain to find the point of 
failure. By a close examination of the soil 
along the surface, an unusual amount of wetness 
at any point will indicate the place of obstruc¬ 
tion. In examining a drained field last Spring, 
where the drains had a fall of nearly a foot in a 
rod, we found in a hollow spot a little stream 
issuing upward — a diminutive spring over¬ 
flowing upon the surface. The stoppage was 
found about three rods distant, under high¬ 
er ground. The drain had been laid nearly 
level, if anything raised upward a little, to avoid 
digging deep, and at this point sand and 
clay had settled in and filled the drain, almost 
entirely choking it for half a dozen feet in length. 
PRESERVE PLANS OF DRAINS. 
As under drains are designed to be entirely 
out of sight, it is important to preserve accurate 
plans of their location. These plans may be 
drawn on paper, marking down especially their 
length, depth at .Afferent points, and the dis¬ 
tances between them, and from different points 
in a direct line to the corners and sides of the 
field. Such plans should be kept in some secure 
place, where the drainer himself or his succes¬ 
sors can always find them. A farm will usually 
sell for a much higher price, if the owner can 
exhibit a plan of a good system of under-drains. 
ANOTHER SIMPLE LEVELING INSTRUMENT. 
In addition to the cheap leveling instruments 
shown on page 264, a correspondent describes 
another one which can be arranged in a few 
minutes with a common iron or steel “square.” 
He likes the implement, and says, with his boy 
of 13 years old, he has leveled forward and 
backward with it over 150 rods, and varied 
scarcely an inch. In fig. 39 we have given the 
form as near as we can from the rough sketch 
furnished. A somewhat similar arrangement is 
given in “Thomas’ Farm Implements.” A 
small stake, a, is sharpened at one end, and slit 
down three or four inches at the other with a 
saw. A common square, 6, is placed in the slit, 
and held somewhat firmly, but not tight, by 
means of a screw, f passing through the stake 
just under the square. A small stick, e, is tacked 
across the top of the stake, and from near the 
end of this a light stone or other weight, c, is 
suspended by a string. It is evident that the 
top edge of the square "will be level when the 
string hangs exactly parallel with the short arm. 
By regulating the pressure with the screw, /, the 
the square can be moved in the slit, and yet be 
held firmly enough in its place. A larger longer 
wooden square may be used in place of the com¬ 
mon iron one, but the latter will answer for all 
ordinary leveling operations. The setting of 
the marking stakes, etc., and the grading of the 
drains are fully described on page 264, of the 
September Agriculturist. 
One of the Clover Stalks. 
Francis Schreiner of Crawford Co., Penn., 
sends to the office of the American Agricul¬ 
turists single Clover Plant, the second year from 
seed, which, when packed in, fills a box 4 feet 
long, 6 inches deep, and 4 inches wide. It has 
70 main stalks from the same root, which, with 
their lateral branches, measure 1050 feet in 
aggregate length. The heads number 9? 2. 
Mr. Schreiner says there are plenty more nearly 
as large as this in the field, which has never 
been manured, and he justly thinks it will be 
hard to beat. 
-.— — • — . - 
Improvement in Sorghum Sugar Manu¬ 
facture. —At the recent Illinois State Agri¬ 
cultural Exhibition a sample of sorghum sugar 
was shown by a Mr. Rogers, said to have been 
manufactured by a peculiar process which will 
infallibly produce sugar from sorghum whether 
green or ripe. If this be true it is of great im¬ 
portance. It is said that the process will be 
tested by further experiments this season, and 
then made known to the public. 
Poor Wagons—Striking Figures. 
A very important article on the “ Motive Pow 
er of Wheel-Carriages,” appears in the Coach- 
Maker’s Magazine for October, going to show 
the great loss in using imperfect axles, heavy 
wagons, etc. The article is long, and we con¬ 
dense for the American Agriculturist a few of the 
hints given, using our own language mainly. 
Every good mechanic knows that by placing 
the arms of the axletrees only an eighth of an 
inch out of the proper position the draft will be 
increased from 10 to 20 pounds. We all speak 
of one wagon as being “ easy running,” and of 
another as “ hard running.” The non-mechan¬ 
ic knows that, for some reason, of two wagons 
of the same weight, size, and general form, one 
will run much easier than the other, though few 
if any have ever thought of the real loss to the 
owner involved. Let us see what this amounts 
to, taking for illustration a heavy stage coach, 
weighing with its load li tuns. The writer's 
observations show that such a coach will last 
900 days if run 75 miles a day—making the dis¬ 
tance traveled 67,500 miles. Allow the team¬ 
ster’s charges to be two-thirds of one cent per 
pound for each 100 miles, and the expense on the 
coach, would be $13,500. It is probable that 
this amount is not above the average expended 
in hauling a strongly built stage coach during 
its entire running career. To draw a 3000 lb. 
stage, including load, requires a steady draft of 
from 300 to 400 lbs. Taking the highest figure 
(400,) and dividing the $13,500 by it, we have 
$33.75 for every pound draft while the wagon is 
wearing out! (The 300 lb. is probably nearer 
the true steady draft, and if so the cost would 
be $45 for each pound of draft.) 
The application is evident. If by more per¬ 
fect form or construction, the steady draft can 
be reduced 10 lbs. it is a saving of $337.50 in 
team expense on the single coach during its en¬ 
tire wear, at the lowest estimate, and $450 at the 
higher rate. The same reasoning applies with 
more force to light carriages and wagons. 
Suppose a farm wagon to last 2 years constant 
running, or 10 years if running 60 days in a year, 
or 600 days in all, and that it costs $1 per day 
for team and harness wear, or $600 in all. If 
the average steady draft be 100 lbs. to draw the 
wagon, empty and loaded, the entire cost per 
pound of draft will be $6. But if by the use of 
the improved case-hardened iron axles, and 
chilled pipe boxes, and by using lighter and 
stronger wood and iron, the average steady draft 
can be reduced to 80 lbs., the saving of $6 on a 
pound in the amount and wear of horse¬ 
flesh and harness, will reach $120 on the entire 
wear of a single wagon. These figures are 
striking—almost startling—but we think they 
are not over-stated. Look over them carefully 
and see if they are. At the very least they will 
indicate to every one the importance of looking 
well to the construction of any wheeled vehicles 
they may buy. Few may be able to decide 
upon the mechanical principles applied, or lack¬ 
ing, in their construction, but a few minutes’ trial 
at the pole or thills will go far to test the com 
parative draft of two wagons or carriages offered. 
