AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
3 
tion of seeds and plants. The wonderful trans¬ 
formation which front yards and gardens have 
undergone in the vicinity of these cities, is 
greatly needed throughout our country. Let 
our amateurs put their hands to the work in 
earnest, and the needed reformation in the ex¬ 
terior of our homes will soon be wrought. 
DRAINING—No. 9. 
Method of Constructing Drains—Stone Drains. 
In a very large majority of cases, where drain¬ 
ing is to be done, tile or stone drains will be 
found far preferable to any of the methods yet 
described. We are quite sure that tile drains, 
of all others, are the cheapest in most cases, and 
that they will generally be adopted; yet we 
think this may sometimes be done too hastily, 
and without a due estimation of some of the 
peculiar advantages of stone drains. But though 
tile drains are generally more easily and cheaply 
constructed, where tiles can readily be procured, 
yet in other situations stone drains are some¬ 
times more available, and they have in many 
cases stood the trial of centuries; and if rightly 
constructed, we think they give more certain 
promise of permanent effectiveness. 
There are various methods of filling drains 
with stones, several of which are illustrated in 
the following cuts: 
Fig. 10. 
The bottom part of the drain only is shown, 
or that part filled with stones. The simplest 
method, however, of filling drains with stones 
is shown in the next illustration, fig. 11. 
constructing large main drains, one of these 
forms will generally be found the mos.t practi¬ 
cable. Two or three forms may be adopted in 
different parts of the same drain, if there is such 
a variety of stones as to make it'more conveni¬ 
ent to do so. 
A third method is illustrated by fig. 12. 
The drain is made with the proper width, 
depth, and inclination, and filled partly up with 
small stones. These are covered over with 
straw, tui'f, coarse bog-hay, shavings, leaves, 
moss, or some similar material, to prevent the 
dirt from falling among them, and the remain¬ 
der of the drain is then filled up with the earth 
that has been thrown out in digging. 
A second method often practised, and espe¬ 
cially where a large amount of water is to be 
carried off, is to dig the drain pretty wide at the 
bottom, and build up walls upon each side, leav¬ 
ing a central passage open, which is finally cov¬ 
ered over with flat stones. Above the covering, 
a layer, of greater or less thickness, of small 
stones, is frequently put in before the final fill¬ 
ing in with soil. Illustrations of this are given 
in a, l), d, e,f and i, in fig. 10 above. In a and 
i, two stones only are used upon the sides. In 
The drain is cut wedge-shaped at the bottom, 
and two flat stones are put in upon the sides, 
meeting in an angle at the lowest point, and 
spread apart from each other at the upper edges. 
Upon the top of these a flat stone is laid. This 
must be wide enough to extend across the drain 
so as to be kept in place by the sides. When 
these three flat stones are thus laid, they will 
form an open drain between them, a section of 
which may be seen at a, fig. 12. Above this, 
the drain is partly filled with small stones, cov¬ 
ered over with gravel or some vegetable sub¬ 
stance, and the space above filled with earth. 
A fourth method is shown in fig. 13. This 
differs from the third method in the manner 
Of arranging the three stones forming the three¬ 
sided opening a. The drain is left square at the 
bottom, a flat stone is laid in, and the two other 
stones are set upon this at the sides of the drain, 
and then leaned against each other at the top, 
or one of the stones is wider and lies over the 
upper edge of the other, as shown at c, fig. 10. 
In either case there is left the opening a, fig. 13, 
and above them is placed the layer of small 
stones as before described. 
Which of the two methods is to be preferred, 
that of fig. 12, or that of fig. 13, depends much 
upon the character of the soil at the bottom of 
the drain. In a compact, hard soil, we should 
prefer the first arrangement, fig. 12, for two 
especial reasons : 1st, in fig. 13 there is always 
danger of the displacement and falling-in of the 
side stones. Great care is needed in putting in 
the upper layer of small stones, and after the 
completion of the drain, there is still danger of 
some such displacement in a long drain. 2d, in 
fig. 12, when there is but a small quantity of 
water, it will be compressed within the narrower 
channel in the lower part, and on this account 
there will be a strong current to wash out any 
sand or clay that may have found its way into 
the drain; while in fig. 13, a small quantity of 
water will be so much spread over the bottom 
as to diminish its current, and hence the greater 
liability of clogging up. 
But in a less compact soil, fig. 13 would be 
preferable, since the flat stone at the bottom 
gives a good foundation for the rest of the fill¬ 
ing up, and this would b<*safer than the arrange¬ 
ment in fig. 12, where the side-stones rest simply 
upon the soil, and may be pressed out of place. 
Any one of the last three methods is preferable 
to the first named, (fig. 11,) if flat stones are 
easily, available. The continuous opening gives 
a free and direct passage for the water, and in 
the event of this opening becoming filled up at 
any point, we have the layer of small stones still 
left to carry off the water. 
As before hinted, the character of the soil, 
the quantity of water to be conveyed away, and 
especially the kind and quantity of stones that 
can be most cheaply obtained, must decide 
which of these several kinds of stone drains is 
best adapted to a particular farm or locality. 
Where small stones only can be obtained, the 
first method must necessarily be adopted. 
Where a small quantity only of suitable flat 
stones, with an abundance of small ones, can be 
obtained, then the third or fourth method would 
be the best. Where there is an abundance of 
flat as well as of small stones, and a large quan¬ 
tity of water to be carried away, the second 
method would be preferable. 
Depth of Stone Drains .—The general depth 
of drains, dependent upon the character of the 
soil drained, will be discussed in our general 
remarks upon this subject. Stone drains espe- 
