had in digging into soils, to judge of draining out of
this county (Seneca), was in Niagara." He states the result of his
observations thus:

"A few inches below the surface I found a stiff blue clay for about
ten inches deep, and as impervious to water as so much iron.
Underneath that blue clay, I found a red clay, apparently
impervious to water; but, as water could not get through the blue,
I could only guess at that; and, after spending the greater part of
the day, with five men digging holes from four to five feet deep, I
found I knew no more how such land could be drained, than a man who
had never seen a drain dug. I advised the gentleman to try a few
experiments, by digging a few ditches, as I laid them out, and
plowing as deep as possible with a subsoil plow, but to get no tile
until he saw if he could get a run of water. He paid my traveling
expenses, treated me very kindly and I have heard nothing from him
since.

"Now, if your correspondent's soil and subsoil is similar to that
soil I would advise him to feel his way cautiously in draining.
Certainly, no man would be fool enough to dig ditches and lay tile,
if there is no water to carry off."

In the _Country Gentleman_ of Nov. 18th, 1858, we find an interesting
statement, by John S. Pettibone, of Manchester, Vermont, partly in reply
to the statement of Mr. Johnston.

The experiment by Mr. Pettibone, showing the increased permeability of
clay, merely by the passage of water through it, is very interesting. He
says, in his letter to the editor:

"When so experienced a drainer as Mr. Johnston expresses an opinion
that some soils cannot be drained, it is important we should know
what the soil is which cannot be drained. He uses the word _stiff
blue_ clay, as descriptive of the soil which cannot be drained. * * *

"I had taken a specimen of what I thought to be _stiff blue clay_.
That clay, when wet, as taken out, would hold water about as well
as iron: yet, from experiments I have made, I am confident that
such clay soil can be drained, and at much less expense than a
hard-pan soil. Water will pass through such clay, and the clay
become dry; and after it becomes once dry, water will, I am
convinced, readily pass down through such stiff blue clay. The
specimen was taken about three feet below the surface, and on a