Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-02-18
WITHDRAWING.

New HAVEN, Feb IA, 1860
Judge Henry f. French of New Hampshire
told us, on being first introduced to the Con
Ventlon, that he was not an orator but his
audience OF yesterday and to-day are, if | may
judge from their expressions at the close of the
two discourses, convinced that he is possessed
OF the eloquence Of facts, more useful to us
than the other glittering qualification. He
commenced this morning by saying a good
thing boldly, viz: that open bitches obstruct
good husbandry-a fact which the opponents
to covered drains would do well to remember
Open bitches occupy much land needessly;
they cause constant turning at headIands
their influence on the area of the soil is not
uniform, as the parts nearest them are dried
while the rest is left as ever in heavy rains
not only is much soil washed into them, but
along with it, manure that at labor and expense
has been applied their banks washing away
the bottoms get soon filled up, and require fire.
quent cleaning out aud their sides and boun-
Diary strips afford refuge to weeds, and a
home to rats, mice, and other vermin. Some
times, as "headers" To cut off the inflow of
water to field, they may be of use; and
again, on very level land a great cana-like
ditch may be employed, in lieu of a natural
watercourse, to receive the drainage of farm
but these are the exceptions to general rule
The various kinds of drain were in turn de.
scrlbed, the lecturer observing that there might
be circumstances where tiles could not be had,
and hence these several substitutes could be
tolerated malSeshifts. In brush drains, the
durability of the material depends not so much
upon Its keeping nature as on the physical and
other character of the soil. Thus he had
known an instance of white birch, which one
would think would decay in year, having
remained in brush.drain for six years almost
as fresh as when cut The reason for its
preservation was that it had been submerged
i'll water continually.
Into brush drains soil very easily falls and
soon here and there the superintendent mass
caves in, sometimes to such an extent that
wagon load of dirt is required to fill the sinks
mice and moles work into them, too, and at
best they are poor concerns. The mole-plow
ing now practiced ON western prairies is for
new country where land is so cheap, and
where a sticky clay subsoil underlies whole
districts, tolerably good plan. 1t has been
known and practccd in England since almost
the time OF Methusalqh, but MAYOR Dickinson
Of Steuben county New York. has gotten up
one of these ancient mole plows, and dubbed it
"the Shanghai" as if it were new thing
Drains are made in some "wooden countries"
by laying two stout poles at the bottom and
one ON them. In Scotland they have in some
pehlghted sections shoulder" drain, which
CONSISTS in digging down, say Is inches
Wlue, 70 certain depth and then cutting
.ne RESI- OF the way down only onethird as
Miue 'nus making narrow box drain in the
gronhu on the shoulders of which inverted
s siin sous are laid as covering, and the soil
- w " lne surface upon them. Stone
there is great choice in their constructor
The best way Of all is to set up one course Of
slab stones perpendicularly against the r;oht ~
bank, and then leaning other stones egai1at
them, making drain shaped like a single.
pitch shed roof II the stones are delivered 70
farmer at the edge of his bitches, they are
sun dgarer Tor his use than Tile drains, even
tile. The mere cost of excavating and haul.
ing boulders for drains is very large, and, af.
er ALL their function is unsatisfactory.