The Principles of Field Drainage

First published in 1953, as the second edition of a 1942 original, this book provides an accessible account regarding field drainage, targeted at those involved in the organisation and supervision of the drainage process. The text was written to draw attention 'to the fundamentals of the subject, to portray a philosophy of draining, and to deal with the factors involved and the way in which they influence events in the soil'. Numerous illustrative figures and a bibliography are included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in field drainage and the history of agriculture.

Preface; List of illustrations; 1. Former neglect of drainage work. Measures of government assistance; 2. The history of field-draining developments in Great Britain; 3. The moisture properties of soil. The incidence of drainage; 4. Percolation. Permeability. The water table. The special case of clay land; 5. Drainage conditions in the field. (Soil and site factors. The main types of drainage circumstances); 6. The use of published maps in field-drainage work; 7. The investigation of field-drainage problems; 8. Ditches; 9. Tile draining. Methods and principles. Renovation of old systems. Design and materials; 10. Mole draining. Suitable soils, details, causes of failure, machinery, procedure; 11. The way in which drains work. Rates of flow from outfalls; 12. Drainage of aerodromes, sports grounds and field fortifications; 13. Field drainage, river flow and floods; 14. Field drainage. Present position and progress; Appendix; Some useful data; A bibliography of field drainage; Index.