. Dairy farming : being the theory, practice, and methods of dairying. Dairy farms; Dairy plants; Milk plants. Fig. 33.— a system of " land-ditching," as it was termed, had long been practised^ Shallow drains were formed at short intervals, and filled in to a certain depth with brushw*od, straw, and even weeds, over which the soil was replaced; this system, however, could only be practised in stiff soils, which would retain the form of the drain after the materials had decayed away, and even in these soils the drains were constantly liable to Ijecome useless. A somewhat
. Dairy farming : being the theory, practice, and methods of dairying. Dairy farms; Dairy plants; Milk plants. Fig. 33.— a system of " land-ditching," as it was termed, had long been practised^ Shallow drains were formed at short intervals, and filled in to a certain depth with brushw*od, straw, and even weeds, over which the soil was replaced; this system, however, could only be practised in stiff soils, which would retain the form of the drain after the materials had decayed away, and even in these soils the drains were constantly liable to Ijecome useless. A somewhat similar system to this is "plug-draining" (Fig. 33), wliich is also confined to clay soils. Wooden plugs, of the size and shape required for the drain, and joined together by links of iron, are placed in the bottom of the newly-excavated drain; the clay is then pounded firmly over them, so as to retain its position, alter which the ])lugs are drawn out, leaving a well- formed passage for the water; these drains, though more lasting than their prototypes, are but temporary. Many centuries ago drains were formed of bro- ken stones (Fig. 34), ind iseriminately thrown in, to a dei)th of some 6 to 1-2 inches, in tlie and tlie upper portion are sometimes still found in working order, but a rule tiiey are lialile to early stoppage, on account of collections of sediment among the stones. " Mole-draining " (Fig. ) is performed by a plough specially constructed for the purpose, and pulled along either by steam or horse power, or by a windlass. That ^wr- tion of the plough which forms the drain consists of an elon- gated piece of iron, termed a " mole," of circular form, pointed at the end, and placed at the bottom of a long and _-?^ A ;;,,:^'*^ •>- powerfully - formed coulter, which has a sharp cutting edge; on stiff clay pastures this method of ' ";~' draining remains effective for a long period, but on arable land it is liable to derang
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookcontributorncs, bookdecade1880, bookyear1880
