176 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
June, 
Prof. Norton says —“ The bottom of the [stone] drain 
should be about six inches across, and from six to eight 
inches in depth of these small stones should be thrown 
in. Turfs cut thin and very carefully so as exactly t<? 
fit, should be laid on the top, over-lapping each other, 
and the earth rammed down hard, as the object is to 
prevent entirely, the access of water from above; it 
should all filter in at the sides, for if it finds an entrance 
at the top, sand and small stones will wash down, and 
eventually choke the drain.” 
But the principal operations of draining in Britain, 
for the last few years, have been with tiles made of 
clay, and burnt after the manner of burning bricks. 
These could be used with more economy, especially in 
Kstricts where stones were scarce, the expense of 
transporting the former, being much less. They have 
>een made of various forms. The curved or “ liorse- 
iioe ” shape was first adopted. The tiles were made 
in lengths of fourteen to sixteen inches, and three to 
bur inches wide, with “ soles ” for the tiles to rest on 
when laid in the drain. The manner of making drains 
with these, has so frequently been described in our pa¬ 
ges, that nothing further seems necessary in regard to 
them. Of late, another form, called “ pipe ” tile, has 
been introduced. We have never seen any of this kind; 
but in regard to the manner of making them, and their 
operation, we presume they cannot be better described 
than in the language of Prof. Norton, who during his 
residence in England and Scotland, made drainage a 
subject of particular investigation. We copy from his 
lecture on draining, before referred to in this article: 
“It is a simple round pipe, made in lengths like the first 
and for the cross drains of not more than an inch and a 
half in the diameter of the bore. These can be made 
much cheaper than the other kind, as they are smaller, 
and all in one piece. They are not more than half the 
weight of the old fashioned tile and sole, and there¬ 
fore an additional saving is effected on the transpor¬ 
tation. The trench for their reception is also much 
smaller, being at the top just wide enough to allow 
the trencher to work, and cut at the bottom with a 
narrow tool, to exactly the proper size for the recep¬ 
tion of the pipe. The pieces are simply laid end to end, 
and wedged with small stones when necessary. The 
water finds its way in at the joints. Many have ex¬ 
pressed doubts as to the operation of these drains, 
thinking that water would scarcely penetrate into so 
small a channel, through such minute apertures. No 
difficulty has been experienced in any case. One 
gentleman, residing in the south of England, who has 
employed these small pipe tiles in draining exceedingly 
stiff clays, laying them at the depth of three feet, and 
ramming the clay hard down, offered a premium of 
£100 to any person who would keep the water out of 
them. These tiles, of both varieties, are made by 
machinery. The clay is worked in an ordinary pug- 
mill, such as used in brick-making, care being taken 
that no stones are present; it is then forced through 
a die of a circular or horse-shoe shape, according to 
the kind of tile intended to be made. It passes through 
in a continuous stream, which is cut off into the proper 
lengths by hand, or by a little apparatus connected 
with the machine.” 
It affords us pleasure to state that Hon. John Dela- 
field, of Oaklands Farm, near Geneva, has lately im¬ 
ported from England, one of the most approved ma¬ 
chines for making tiles. It is Scragg’s patent, and is 
represented by the cut at the head of this article. It 
has received two prizes of £20 each, from the Royal 
Agricultural Society, and the Highland Agricultural 
Society as the best tile machine exhibited at their 
shows. We have received from Mr. D. the following 
remarks in reference to the machine:—“ It was made 
by Scragg, of Cheshire, England. It is of the largest 
size and embraces every improvement to the present 
time. This machine works the clay and screens it, so 
as to remove all stones and other substances—it is then 
carried forward by the machinery, and passed through 
dies of any required form or pattern, and delivered at 
the end of the table, ready lor the kiln. The dies 
which accompany the machine, will produce drain pipes 
of 1, 1■§. 2, 2-j, 3, 5, and 6 inches bore. Horse-shoe tiles, 
rising and 4 inches, with soles to match the tiles—- 
semi-cylinders of 8 and 11 inches in diameter. A pat¬ 
tern has also arrived for a new form of pipe, with a foot 
attached. This is a new feature, and, as it seems, an 
improvement. The machine is arranged also for making 
ridge tiles and pan tiles for roofing. 
“As soon as the machine is put into work, I will send 
a specimen of each tile to the Agricultural Rooms. It 
is probable that it may be in operation by June, and 
then drain tiles will be furnished for not over ten dol¬ 
lars per 1000, and I hope in good time to see them de¬ 
livered for a less cost. We cannot yet form an accu¬ 
rate calculation, but -we are sure not to exceed $10 per 
1000. 
“ I hope to cause the works to be erected close to 
the canal, that a ready delivery may be made to distant 
farmers. 
“ In procuring this machine, I have been much favor¬ 
ed by the gentlemanly attentions of Mr. John Girdwood, 
of Chirk Castle, Scotland, who interested himself much 
and earnestly in the erection of this particular kind. I 
am also under obligations to Prof. Norton, who first 
brought this machine into notice in this country in one 
of his lectures, and through whom I received an intro¬ 
duction to Mr. Girdwood.” . 
As to the expense of drainage in this country, no 
precise statements can at present be made. When ma¬ 
chines for making tiles shall have been brought into full 
operation here, and all other branches of the business 
become fully understood and systematised, the cost will 
be reduced. But Mr. Johnston, near Geneva, whose 
draining operations have been several times spoken of 
in our pages, states that at the cost which he has in¬ 
curred, twenty-eight cents per rod, the investment is 
the most profitable he has made on his farm. 
We are not prepared to laydown any definite rules as 
to'the distance apart which drains should be laid. This 
must depend on the condition of the land. In many fields, 
drains are only needed in particular situations or wet 
spots, other portions being sufficiently dry. Where the 
soil is uniformly w r et, or is generally injured by water 
in the subsoil, the rule which is followed in Britain will 
probably be found best, and that, according to Prof. 
Norton, is to lay the drains at eighteen to twenty-four 
feet apart, which he says will drain the stiffest and wet¬ 
test land. 
The depth of drains, it is generally agreed, should 
not be less than two and a-half feet. They should be 
so deep that there is no danger of their being affected 
by any operations on the the soil, either in using the 
common plow or the subsoil plow. When the tiles are 
once laid, and the earth is properly fixed around them, 
they should never be disturbed, except to remedy some 
obstruction. 
Culture of Grapes in Ohio. —It is stated in the 
Report of the Agricultural society for the county of 
Hamilton, O., that not less than five hundred bushels 
of Catawba and Isabella grapes were sold in Cincin¬ 
nati during last season, for “ table use ”—the price $3 
to $4 per bushel. But the quantity sold for the table 
is said to have been inconsiderable, compared w’ith the 
quantity used in the manufacture of wine. The grape 
culture is profitably carried on in the vicinity of Cin¬ 
cinnati, on the roughest hill-sides, which are of but lit¬ 
tle value for the ordinary purposes of agriculture. 
