1 Ava., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 179 
in the same orchard, were covered with scale and of no size. It was the same 
with lemons. It was not that the fruit was so much cleaner, but the cyandin 
had had the effect of almost doubling the size of the fruit as compared with that 
from non-treated trees. 1am told, moreoyer, that the growth of the cyanided 
trees shows a really remarkable improvement over the others. 
Mr. Wir11am Gipsoy, of Bingera, Bundaberg, then read the following 
paper on— 
DRAINAGE. 
Though proper drainage of the soil is a subject of the highest importance to all 
classes of agriculturists, I lave some fear of Wwearying you in this attempt to put clearly 
before you the result of a draining experience that dates from over 30 years ago. 
Together with my father and brothers, I first settled on the land at Doughboy 
Creek, a place not very far from Brisbane. We were not long there before we 
found out that it would be necessary to adopt some means to get the water away from 
the land if we wanted payable crops. The undertaking, as it presented itself to us at 
the time, was too great for individual enterprise to cope with successfully ; but some- 
thing had to be done. There were other settlers in the district beside ourselves, so a 
meeting was called, and the result of that meeting was that 15 of us, all settlers, agreed 
to co-operate in digging a main drain 12 feet wide, toa depth of from 3 feet to 6 feet, over 
a distance of about 23 miles, from the Brisbane River, following an old watercourse up 
through the farms of the age Interested. The beneficial effect of this first venture 
in drainage was so plainly to be seen, that some of the settlers of their own free will 
came and helped to make another drain from Doughboy Creek for a distance of a mile 
or so. This latter extension was for the purpose of drying our roads by way of surface 
drainage, as the roads for the most part led through Swamps, and in places were so 
boggy as to be well nigh impassable during wet weather. 
Our early operations were confined to suface draining, 
moisture was removed by means of open drains, the lands being ridged up for a width 
from 12 feet to 24 feet with a good waterfurrow between. This system worked fairly 
well, but, as you all no doubt well know, the water furrows are not always clean when. 
rain comes, and in our case it was often necessary to go out and clean the furrows in 
the rain to save the crops from being destroyed. ; 
So it came about, that this question presented itself before us: 
in a system of under-drains that would provide a constant “ 
water-when rain fell, and so do away with the labour in 
efficiency of open drainage ? . 
Drain pipes or tiles were quite out of the question. 
resolved to use slabs. We began by digging drains, using a steel spade for the first 
draw (this was all soil), then we took a grafting spade (bottoming tool some call it) to 
dig out the bottom, which consisted mostly of blue clay. These drains were dug from 
18 to 24 inches deep, and finished off at the bottom to a width of 6 inches, Slabs were 
then split and dressed to a uniform width of 8 inches in lengths of from 3 to 6 feet and 
distributed along the banks of the drains; a man then entered the drain, and taking a 
slab from the edge of the bank set it edgewise along the bottom of the drain, on the left- 
hand side, and allowed it to fall over and lean against the right-hand side of the drain, 
thus forming a triangular or V-shaped opening. This was continued till the entire 
length of the drain was completed; care being taken that the squared ends were 
well shouldered close up to one another and formed close joints. After the slabs were 
thus laid, saplings, when handy, were laid along the back of the slabs right to the end 
of the drain to promote increased discharge of water; the work was then covered in 
with a layer of grass or cane trash, and the drain filled in with clay first and then soil. 
Where you have a stiff clayey subsoil, such a drain will last for over a quarter of 
a century, and render efficient service all the time if kept open at the outlet. The cost 
of a drain of this type complete may be set down at 5s. per chain. Only the other day 
T saw one of these drains, and it was then working well and maintaining a discharge'of 
water that was flowing as freely as when I first constructed it some 20 odd years ago. 
Our first experiments having proved so successful, such like drains were continued 
there right on until my firm sold the plantation. , 
A somewhat different system of under-drains has been adopted on Bingera, 
_ though, in the first instance, slab drains, as I have just described them, were 
used. Some fourteen years ago, when I first saw Bingera, I thought—* Here is a place 
that will not require to be under-drained!” Bingera has an acclulahys surface with 
plenty of fall, and at that time wasa dense scrub. In due course the land was 
‘cleared and planted, and all passed off well for about four years. After that springs 
that is to say, the excess of 
Could we not put 
get-away” for the surface 
volved in maintaining the 
As a substitute, however, we 
