VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SEPT. 19, 1896.
NO. 38
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
Tile Drainage—Practical Methods of
Ditching-Size of Tile, Etc.
lst Premium.—Tile drainage is so much
of a science and art that it may be considered a distinct branch of engineering.
The science can to some extent be explained on paper, but the art can be
learned only by field observation and experience. The natural condition and
position of ground is so diversified that a
rule that will fit all cases cannot be
given. A most skillful engineer would
not venture lo say whether or not it
would pay or how to drain a piece of
ground for agricultural purposes without
making a survey of the gronnd himself.
The best thing one inexperienced can do
before venturing at tile drainage is to
search the country for a tract similar to
the one he proposes to drain that is already drained and inquire after and examine the system and success of the
drainage. Though it take a days journey
or a few dollars car fare, better do it. It
is to the ditcher what a scientific tour ls
to the scientist. Or else engage the service of one experienced. This much as
to the expediency of tile drainage. When
it is decided to drain a piece of ground
lay off the course by driving stakes in
the ground, making the course, as near
straight a's practical. It by digging
ttaronph ar_ embankment a : foot or two
higher than tEe'EaluFSl'Watfr co'KFse ftr
several rods, a meander of a rod can be
avoided better do the extra digging.
There are several styles of ditching machines made but the most satisfactory
implements for general use are the spade,
shovel and ditch scoop for cleaning and
leveling the bottom. A common break
plow can be used to cut a furrow for a
beginning and is of great advantage in
sod. The depth of drains depends much
on the nature of the ground. For general
purposes three feet is a good depth. Porous ground can be ditched deeper to advantage, compact shallower. The greatest benefit from tile drainage are obtained from ground having very little or
no natural fall or outlet. And requires
the greatest skill to drain. Any one can
get a fair idea of where would be a good
location for main and lateral drains by
surveying the ground during a freshet.
Generally the natural watercourse is the
best route for the main, yet where there
is a great bulk of water some other course
is sometimes economical, avoiding me-
anderings and thus gaining greater fall
which enormously increases the capacity
of tile and is a safe guard against their
obstruction by sediment. Never try to
make water run up hill even for an inch.
The best way to level a ditch is to watch
the flow of a streamlet on the bottom and
dress the bottom even with a ditch scoop.
Or an even grade can be made by using a
spirit level and boning rods, but it should
be known that a perfectly true spirit
level is a rare instrument and should be
accurately tested before using in the
field. J. K.
Decatur Co.
\
2nd Premium. As to the best methods
of tile drainage. I would require my
drains as freeVrom cracks as possible
be sure to havexjile large enough. Too
many make a larre mistake in putting in
too small sized tiik In no case would I
put in less than fou\ inch tile, be sure the
bottom of your dralnis even and give it
as mnch fall as you can, any unevenness
in your tile will fill up\he tile just that
much, don't lay any tifv until you get
your ditch dug. Diggings few rods and
laying the tile then digginV a few rods
more and so on until your bitch is dug is
liable to cause you to lose ytar fall and
make low places in your ditch, and your
ditch won't work good. Be su\o also to
get your tile below freezing, d^n't put]
/,'.
in culls because you get them cheap,they
are dear in the long rnn. Don't let trees
grow near your tile drains, especially elm
or willowf I have seen tile completely
choked up with elm roots. "When your
ditch is completed fix a few wires across
the mouth of your tile so rabbits, ground
hogs, skunks, can't get in; be sure also to
keep the mouth of your ditch clear so the
water will not back up in your tile. Tile
ditching I think is ono of the most expensive and needful things on many of our
farms, and I know of nothing done on
farms that should be done right or not at
all. But how often do we see it done that
way^I am sorry to say lt, but I do not believe one-half of the tile that I know of is
just in right and the result Is money
thrown away. W. II. P.
Carroll Co.
3d Premium.—I understand by practical drainage you desire a discussion of
plans for accomplishing not only the
most successful results but also the
cheapest method. I suppose there are
two results which everyone hopes to accomplish when he drains a field with tile.
One Is to relieve his land of surplus water the other to aerate and lighten the
soil. Perhaps we do not realize the extreme porosity of the soil. We all remember from our school days that dirt
proper, js simply fragments of rock which
have been separated from the .parent
stone, by the action of the elements working through unnumbered cycles of years,
I4_ow*v»-*--**"*eve*i_B---tfy^ap^
large a portion was stone and how small
a part was vegetable matter until recently, when I had the privilege, through
the courtesy of Dr. Hervey, of Fortville,
of examining a fragment of earth in a
microscope which increased Its apparent
size 1,700 diameters. I then found that
the finest dust had the appearance of
crystals with only an occasional particle
of vegetable matter. In places where the
dust was more than one thickness It
looked like a pile of stones of irregular
shape as stated above which held each
other apart leaving each other proportionally large air spaces. If there is no
outlet for the water all these spaces are
full of it unless relieved by evaporation.
To what extent the soil would be deprived of It by a tile, I am unable to say,
but experience seems to show that it does
not rob the plants. The tile instead seems
to act as a governor for by removing the
surplus water it Invites the air to take its
place, thereby preserving a happy mean
conducive to plant growth. It has also
been noticed where tile drains are deep
that on a day when the warm air is heavy
with moisture as will frequently happen
even in a severe drouth,in passing up the
drains it will lose its moisture by condensation to such an extent as to cause the
drains to run, thereby filling the soil contiguous to the tile and throughout its entire length with moisture which can then
be appropriated by capillary attraction.
From which premises I draw the following .conclusions: 1. Drain thoroughly,
that ls, closely. 2. Use large tile not for
water only but for air. 3. Drain deep. As
to methods of digging, I have sometimes
taken out the depth of a dead furrow,
with a plow but the remainder with old-
fashioned elbow grease and a spade.
Rob Roy.
bbvikw.
Perhaps I may be allowed the honor of
saying that my father' introduced the
first wooden ditch and the first tile ditch
in this community.
The spotted clay and black soil of central Indiana, back from water courses, is
all benefited by tiling.
Our sandy river land is helped only in
places and often dries ont Into a bed of
gravel which is too near the surface.
Our wettest ground is generally the
blackest soil and being very coarse and |
porous dries quicker when ditched than
the clay land. i
We can work well ditched "wet land"
sooner after rain than our so-called high
dry clay soil even if it ls also well
ditched.
There is lots of nonsense about employing surveyors to lay out ditches.
And a whole lot of expense may often
be piled np on a job.
I like for tile to be 40 inches deep in our
black soil an 30 inches in the clay soil.
I have used a riding plow throwing a
furrow right and left. Then a deep furrow In the middle. One tile spade from
the bottom will put tile deep enough on
clay land.
A handy man with a little running
water will make a good bottom with a
drawing scoop. And we lay tile with a
stick with a piece nailed on It like a carpenter's square.
By standing on the bank both making
bottom and laying tiio we can do better
work.
The secret of tile Is that lt promptly
lowers the water table to 30 or 40 Inches,
this makes a sponge reservoir of the soil
which takes up a good rain without
washing and also absorbs it below the
surface and lt is not stagnant about plant
roots.
• 1^visited Chamberlain's farm in northern Ohio,Vnd"h6—trt-s-a-inch.,glazed collar tile, .about .two. rods apart- aii 3<\
inches deep oyer his clay land. Their
soil Is unlike'ours. ".HlspltfW .was break.-;
ing'for wheit and as I-pre'ssedi back with
my'flbot a partly^ turned sod instead of
crumbling over my foot it bent and
checked in many cracks and laid back
tough.
He showed me his large orchard, one-
half was greener and had longer new
twigs.
That half had no advantage more than
a 2-inch tile 30 inches deep between every
two rows of trees. .
I agree that nothing less than 4-inch
should be used ln valleys. ]!ut for
knolls and fiat land, fine high land, sad
enough to need a lino every two rods, I
would use 2 inch tile. It serves every
purpose and Is much cheaper and more
easily hauled and handled.
I once stood a 4-inch tile on end in
cement on a piece of glass and filled It
with water. It soon dampened through
but the capillary attraction of the particles of tile did not allow the water to
drip except on the lower one inch. I
placed cement on the top of this tile and
stood a second tile on it and filled with
water and tho-moisture then stood in
minute drops all over the lower tile and
an inch of the bottom of the upper tile.
So it took a column of water 11 Inches
high to press throngh a cherry red tile.
And when 30 inches of water is above
a line it will [go in through cracks and
pores both.
I had a long line of tile in my bottom
field with little fall and the branch filled
above the mouth and run it full ot sand
for more than a rod.
I expected to have it to take up. But
after a big rain I noticed it was clean and
had cut quite a notch in tho bank of the
brook on the opposite side.
One mustn't never dare go in debt to
build a fine house or buy a nice rig or
team.
But he may be fairly reckless in going in debt for ditchiug land that needs
it.
It will not only pay interest but often
liquidate the entire debt in one crop.
If any man knows of a farmer who was
"broke" by putting money in tile I wish
you would send his address.
I can not agree with Kob Hoy that
damp air condenses water enough in a
deep tile to start a (low.
We often witness low streams renew
flowing when the air becomes lighter.
Not much air passes into the mouth ot
a tile. If drawn through in a strong
stream much moisture would condense.
We were surprised to receive   only
three letters on such an Important topic.
Heretofore we have received so much
copy.
No. 29, Sept. 20.—Describe a convenient
arrangement for keeping milk and butter
for family use.
No. 30, Oct. 3d. How do you manage
poultry In fall and'winter—variety preferred for eggs and for market?
_. Topic No. 31, Oct. 10th.—What is your
money crop? How do you plan your
farm management so as to make money?
Topic No 32.—Oct 17th—Tell our readers what the saloon does for you and
your neighbors. Ask your county
clerk what additional taxes you pay
on account ot the crime and poverty resulting from the nuisance.
Please send copy early.
If our friends will writo as soon as you
can on any of these topics, your copy will
be filed away and be ready whou the
topic is published.
E. H. COI-LINS.
Importance of Hye As a Crop.
Perhaps no other grain possesses moro
desirable qualities of usefulness for the
farmer than the sometimes abused rye.
While It is not a difficult matter to find
men who would not have a grain of rye
on thou,- ta___,-i.._. - it to capable, if rightly
handlCt?. ot serving es good a purpose as
.Stfy^prop. wblch;»i»^^e*-ea»ialse-- _
Kye should he *,;)wn. _-lr"~-i•-, att*r harvest as-possible. It __>-jo* parneaiany
partial to any one kjnd of soil although
light, rather than heavy land is best for
it. It makes good and rapid growth and
can be pastured quite late in the fall, in
fact, until winter sets in. As soon as the
snow is off the ground in spring it can be
again pastured. It grows rapidly and
will usually keep a herd of stock, unless
too many hoad per acre are rapidly turned
into it. It is an ideal place in which to
keep hogs of any age, the rye field.
Nothing affords such abundance of pasture iu the eastern or middle States. It
quickly recovers after close cropping and
requires but little moisture to keep it
growing. As it heads out considerably
earlier than other grain, it may be cut for
hay If desired and the land then put into
potatoes, beans or corn. Or the pasturing
may be continued while the grain ripens.
Hogs will run in a rye field all summer,
requiring no other food and be fat enough
to kill in the fall, although a few weeks
feeding on corn is thought desirable. I
have known a drove of 20 hogs being kept
all summer in an orchard sowed to rye
with no other food, and sold to the butcher .
without a day's extra feed. The rye thus
treated self seeds and comes up again
green and thick as a mat in the fall.
By some rye is allowed to mature its
seed and the crop threshed, but the
writer prefers to cut while green and
make Into hay, or turn under for manure
rather than to have the rye springing up
in other crops. So the seed is bought
from year to year.
To those who have never tried it I
would say, sow a field of ryo this year.
Sow it early and do not be afraid to pasture it late. It will come on nicely in the
spring, affording pasturage long before
the grass is big enough to turn into..
Keep it fed down as long as possible,' but
when it begins to joint keep out the stook
if you want it for hay or to perfect the
grain for threshing. In cutting for hay
cut before it begins to turn yellow at the
roots, so that it will be green and nice
when cured. If it can be used for hogs
let them remain in it all summer, and
you will find it the easiest way of fattening them you ever tried. Nothing makes
spring pigs grow equal to it, although a
little ground feed may be fed to advantage at any time, and milk the same.—N.
Y. Farmer.
3
A pocket of  marsh gas  was  struck at
Wanatah, at a depth of 410 feet.