"That the offensive smells proceeding from any works "intended for house or town drainage, indicate the fact "of the detention and decomposition of ordure, and afford "decisive evidence of mal-construction or of ignorant or defective arrangement.

"That the method of removing refuse in suspension in "water by properly combined works, is much better than "that of collecting it in pits or cess-pools near or under"neath houses, emptying it by hand labor, and removing "it by carts.

"That it is important for the sake of economy, as well "as for the health of the population, that the practice of "the removal of refuse in suspension in water, and by com. "bined works, should be applied to all houses, especially "those occupied by the poorer classes."

Later investigations of the subject have established two general conclusions applicable to the subject, namely, that: "In towns all offensive smells from the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter, indicate the generation "and presence of the causes of insalubrity and of prevent "able disease, at the same time that they prove defective "local administration;

"and correlatively, that:

"In rural districts all continuous offensive smells from "animal and vegetable decomposition, indicate prevent"able loss of fertilizing matter, loss of money, and bad "husbandry."

The principles herein set forth, whether relating to sanitary improvement, to convenience and decency of living, or to the use of waste matters of houses in agricultural improvement, are no less applicable in America than else where; and the more general adoption of improved house drainage and sewerage, and of the use of sewage matters in agriculture, would add to the health and prosperity of its people, and would indicate a great advance in civilization.

NOTE TO CHAPTER XI.—(SECOND EDITION.)

On reading over the preceding chapter, I am disposed to leave it essentially as first written, because the principles which it sets forth are as true now as they were then, and because there has been no essential modification in processes which makes it important to change its directions.

I would say, however, that the system of Back Drainage described, has not come into general use, for the reason that it is considered better, all things taken into the account, to avoid, so far as possible, the laying of public drains on private land. Where there are lanes between the backs of the houses, or where it is practicable to take a small strip of land for this purpose and put it under the control of the public authorities, the manifest advantages of the system may be availed of. In the majority of instances, however, this will not be practicable.

So far as the use of small pipes is concerned, experience has fully justified all that was anticipated ten years ago. Especially where the question of stormwater can be left out of the account, that is, where this can be allowed to run through surface gutters, or where separate sewers can be made for its removal. What is known as the Separate System, that is, the removal of house-drainage by itself, is much to be recommended, and even in cities where house-drainage alone is to be accommodated, very small pipes, even six or eight inches in diameter, may be very largely used for lateral sewers.

The use of small pipes is greatly facilitated, and their permanent working secured, by the adoption of Roger Field's method of accumulating the drainage of a few houses at the upper end of each line, including the roofwater, in underground tanks of considerable size, which, by the automatic action of an ingeniously arranged siphon, discharge their whole contents with great rapid

ity as soon as they become full. This secures the thorough periodical flushing of the lower line of the drain, and allows us to use very low gradients where a slight fall is made necessary by the level of the land. Field's flushing tank is not only valuable for this use, but equally so for the accumulating of the drainage of single houses, and for discharging it with a cleansing flow from the house-drain; and enables us to use with safety, for any private house, an outlet drain only four inches in diameter.

For the ultimate disposal of the drainage of country or village houses, of asylums and even of small towns, the delivery of the flushing tanks by periodical discharge into common agricultural drain tiles two inches in diameter, laid on lines two to six feet apart, having a fall of not more than four inches per hundred feet, with uncemented joints, and placed not more than 8 or 10 inches below the surface of the ground, secures the absorption of the liquid by the upper portion of the soil, within reach of the roots of plants, and of the oxidizing influence of the air. This constitutes the most efficient means of disposal yet devised. I have had this system in operation at my own *house since 1870, and find it entirely satisfactory. In 1876, I adopted it for the disposal of the entire sewage of the village of Lenox, Mass., and I do not hesitate to recommend it as satisfactory in all similar cases.

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTERS.

The directions for work, as originally given in Chapter IV, should be followed only as modified by the later information given below; which is a reprint of two articles published in the American Agriculturist, after the body of this work was written.

CHAPTER XII.

IMPROVEMENTS IN DRAINING TILES.

In view of the fact that in my article on "Tile-Draining," published in the Agricultural Annual, and in my first edition of "Draining for Profit and Draining

Figs. 50 and 51.-TILE AND COLLAR.

for Health," I have very strenuously insisted upon the necessity for using silt-basins in the laying of underdrains, I have thought it advisable to state explicitly the reasons which have led me, in my own practice and in advice to others, to dispense almost entirely with their use. They were at best a rather imperfect and quite ex

pensive means for preventing the obstruction of drains by accumulations of silt; but, with the draining materials procurable at the time when the book and article above alluded to were written, they were indispensable. During the last year I have used largely the tiles manufactured by Messrs. C. W. Boynton & Co., of Woodbridge, N. J., which are made with certain modifications and improvements that very greatly lessen the necessity for siltbasins. Indeed, in draining my own farm of 60 acres, I

Fig. 52.-LINE OF TILES WITH COLLARS AS LAID.

have not made a single one of these. The tiles referred to are made from the tenacious clay of the Amboy region, which is so much richer in quality and so much more uniform than the brick clay ordinarily employed for the purpose, that it is found easy to make even the smallest tiles two feet long, which, of itself, is a great advantage, inasmuch as it reduces by one-half the number of joints, which must always form a greater or less obstacle to the smooth flow of water, while there are still openings enough remaining for the complete admission of soil

water. Only round tiles are made at this establishment, the smaller ones being provided with wellFig. 53. CURVED TILES. Fig. 54. fitting collars for connecting their ends. The tile and collar respectively are shown in figs. 50 and 51. The continuous line is laid as shown in fig. 52. The curved tiles, such as those shown in figs. 53 and 54, bent to various degrees, in order to suit the requirements of different circumstances, I have found of great assistance, especially in abruptly changing the direction of main drains. Figure 55 represents an enlarging tile, by which, in increasing the