The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-02-13
From the Western Agriculturist.l
DRAINING LOW LANDS.

the summer of 1854, WI en- the lands
were parched up by the heat and drought.
There are pieces of ground on many
farms, which, in ordinary seasons, on ac-
count of their swampy nature, will yield
nothing; but let drought come upon the
land and they will be the most produe-
tive portions of the farm. Here is
good evidence of the advantages of
draining sach lands, in order to make
them yield yearly crops.
In the Telegraph, Germantown, we
find the following communication from a
Montgomery County Farmer, on the
manner of draining low lands, which we
think may be read with profit by our
readers:
There are few farms which do not
contain within their limits some tracts
of sol. that would be greatly improved
by draining. Low grounds that pro-
duce only wild grass, and which are too
wet to be plowed, may be economically
improved by ditching. The labor re.
quired to take off the stagnant water is a
nero triie in comparison with the bene-
fits resulting from it's ameliorating eff
feets, especially when the vegetable stra-
tum is underlaid by a close and imper-
vious subsoil, through which To water
can infltrate, and which as a .ouse-
quence, becomes plastic upon the slight
est fall of rain, or the melting of the
snow. One principal drain will gener-
ally be sufficient, if drawn through the
centre of the piece but in order that
the work may be efectual, it is well to
open collateral drains by which all the
water from the surface may be passed
into the main channel and especially
is this important where the surface is
broken by knobs or inequalities that
would prevent the superficial drainage
Of the land Where there are many
concealed spring heads, or springs from
which water oozes, these latter drains
are Indispensable, but as open bitches
are always an obstacle to cultivation,
covered drains have of late been intro
dueedi in most enterprises of this nature.
These are generally dug about two and
a half feet deep, the sides and bottom,
unless the earth is quite firm, being lined
with fat stones, or some durable materi-
al that will prevent the wash of the ditch.
If the descent is considerable, or sum-
Gent 10 give a velocity of more than
two miles an hour to the current, lining
will be indispensable, especially if the
texture of the+sol or subsoil, be sandy.
These drains are covered with fiat stones
placed sufficiently far beneath the sur
face not to be in the way of the pillow,
and the soil from the drains spread over
them This is termed covered drainage.
"In some places, where stones are not
easily a~ttainable, drains are constructed
sometimes inthe following manner. The
ditching e~xcavated, bushes are procured
and placed over them, supported by
sticks of timber, or young saplings laid
across the drains at intervals of three
feet, and let into the soil on either side.
The brush used for covering is deposited
on these parallel with the ditch. and be-
ing ~compactly arranged is then covered
with the boughs of cedar, spruce or hem
lock, to prevent the sitting through of
the fine particles of soil, with which it is
covered. In all operations of this ma
ture, of whatever character OF material
it may consist, should be placed sufi-
GENTLY deep to be entirely beyond the
action of the pillow,
"Where the soil is light, and the
land has a considerable inclination, the
following method is frequently adopted.
The drain being opened, a cement is
formed by mixing one part of bydranl::c5
cement with four parts of sand, previ.
ously we'll sifted, and as mnch water as
will reduce the Ingredients to a state of
ductile Elasticity, or a condition that
will admit gifts being worked with IA
cility. The shape of the ditch should
resemble that of the letter Y, beinp
wide at the top or surface of the ground,
and coming to a point at the bottom
The cement is then thrown in, fllinp
the trench for several feet in length, and
some FIVE or six inches in depth, care
being taken to desposit evenly and with
out flaws or breaks. On this. a cyliu-
drical piece of wood is placed the d.
ameter of which is equal to the drain
designed, and furnished with a loop at
tached firmly to the end. This is adj
justed on its bed By a water level, the
proper d~eclination having been preVi-
ously a~scertained, and with covered the
cement, firmly rammed, to the depth of
four or five inches. The filing in is
then resumed, and the piece of wood
drawn forward by mean of the loop,
and again covered. In this way the
work continues till the whole is COM
pleted, when the cemented pipe, having
had sufficient time to dry, or consolidate
is covered in. This, nevertheless, is
perhaps the most economical method of
constructing a covered drain that can be
adopted, especially where the soil is of
alight or sandy texture, and liable to
be washed.n
IL Baron Anselm Meyer Roths-