man behind the squire and the bailiff,--the draining
conjuror. * * * * * * These fellows never go direct about their work. If
they attack a spring, they try to circumvent it by some circuitous route.
They never can learn that nature shows you the weakest point, and that you
should assist her,--that _hit him straight in the eye_ is as good a maxim
in draining as in pugilism. * * * * * * If you wish to drain, we recommend
you to take advice. We have disposed of the quack, but there is a faculty,
not numerous but extending, and whose extension appears to us to be
indispensable to the satisfactory progress of improvements by draining,--a
faculty of draining engineers. If we wanted a profession for a lad who
showed any congenial talent, we would bring him up to be a draining
engineer." He then proceeds to speak of his own experience in the matter,
and shows that, after more than thirty years of intelligent practice, he
employed Mr. Josiah Parkes to lay out and superintend his work, and thus
effected a saving, (after paying all professional charges,) of fully
twelve per cent. on the cost of the draining, which was, at the same time,
better executed than any that he had previously done.

It is probable that, in nearly all amateur draining, the unnecessary
frequency of the lateral drains; the extravagant size of the pipes used;
and the number of useless angles which result from an unskillful
arrangement, would amount to an expense equal to ten times the cost of the
proper superintendence, to say nothing of the imperfect manner in which
the work is executed. A common impression seems to prevail, that if a
2-inch pipe is good, a 3-inch pipe must be better, and that, generally, if
draining is worth doing at all, it is worth overdoing; while the great
importance of having perfectly fitting connections is not readily
perceived. The general result is, that most of the tile-draining in this
country has been too expensive for economy, and too careless for lasting
efficiency.

It is proposed to give, in this chapter, as complete a description of the
preliminary engineering of draining as can be concentrated within a few
pages, and a hope is entertained, that it will, at least, convey an idea
of the importance of giving a full measure of thought and ingenuity to the
maturing of the _plan_, before the execution of the work is commenced.
"Farming upon paper" has never been held in high repute, but draining upon
paper is less a subject for