VOL. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, JUNE 29, 1912
NO. 26
Ditching  By   Horse   Power
Machine For Tiling Proved
Good Investment.
HEXEFTTS TO  BE DERIVED F.'OM
PROPER DRAINAGE.
A little over a year ago, I was con-
ironted with the problem of draining
my farm, having had some experience
in putting in a few tile drains. I __
knew it was very slow and a very
expensive job to dig the trenches
by hand. Being anxious to get
the tile drains completed quickly,
I set about to investigate the
merits of ditching machine that
would not be too expensive and
I yet be convenient for use on the
| average farm.
I had horses that were usually
Istanding in the barn, while tiling
[operations were  in  progress,  and
I if a successful horse power ditch-
ling machine could  be purchased,
|I was willing to get one and try.
My  subsoil     is  a  very     heavy
|elay,  and I was  not sure  that a
horse  power   ditcher  would   suc-
kcssfuUy   operate    in  it.        After
jvfry   careful   investigation   I   defined   on     a  reliable     advertised
nachine that was  guaranteed  to
Successfully    operate in    my soil
fnd cut tile ditch 10 inches wide
|o a depth of 2  feet at the rate
F 300    rods per  day,     operated
"th six average farm horses.
I purchased one of these  machines, and  found    that  it would
[° even more than claimed for it.
■ have often cut ditches with my
I'teher at the rate    of 40 cents
pr hour, and could do this easily
our very heavy clay    subsoil.
I'ay my tile at an average depth
•f about two  feet and  while In       —
'me Places it is necessary to lay them
"*Per on account of irregularities  ln
■>* surface, the machine will dig deep-
Mhan the two feet guaranteed by the
■"mfaeturers.
■
some cases it may be necessary to
| 6 some out of the bottom by hand,
6 *.th the use of the machine I dig
'rcnches, do the bottoming and lay
r*ugh
very rapidly    and  have saved
lat i
money in  cutting my trenches
the tile
tf>e machine to  pay for
'"it into the trenches.
■'•""ed Enough to Pay for Tile.
'".'er had the advantage or benefit
I "*'"ing my farm thoroughly drained,
'cfore purchasing a ditching ma-
" seemed almost  imposssible  to
l"sin' W°rk done*    Xt was elther im-
,   '6 to  hire  the   digging  done,   or
pm i-    Was Prohib'tlve.    I can save
dit" t0 2° cents Per rod ln cutting:
,,,„     es with the machine, and ex-
s In the large size this saving will
T    r the "Ie.
ilhl firSt benefit derived from tiling
L thea'n ln Increased crops. A
L 2 at ls well tiled will return at
PHert n,\ cent greater crops than an
and this not only the first
Le'     's a constant Income that can
hsana        Upon-    T have laid  ma"y
8 of tile since buying the ma
chine, that I am quite sure I never
would have gotten in to the ground,
excepting by paying' out a large
amount of money or doing much hard
work myself, requiring a number of
years to get done, thus losing the principle benefit, increased crops.
I can get on my tiled fields much
earlier In the Spring and the crops are
not so effected by drought nor does
excessive  moisture   do   the   damage   as
imum operation of 300 rods per day at
a saving of from 15 to 20 cents per rod
it is possible to save from $45 to $60
per day, comparing the cost with contract work.
The machine is strongly built, and
we have never needed any repairs.
When striking a stone the machine is
not damaged, the horses stop, the
points are raised and pass over the obstruction, leaving it to be removed by
hand. If we strike a small stone the
machine will bring it to the surface.
Being able to do our tiling so cheaply
with a horse power machine, leaves a
large   amount   of   money   that   can   be
makes me independent of help and
gives me an opportunity to take my
horses and go into the field and cut a
few rods of ditch whenever I have the
time. The old way of doing it was
unsatisfactory, either having to break
my back working in wet trenches, or
hiring the work at great expense, and
slow process.
In summing up the matter of tile
drainage it is not necessary to mention
the advantages of having a farm well
drained therefore if it is an advantage
to have a farm drained, why not do it
at once, and do it in the most speedy
and economical manner, with modern
  machinery; that is not prohibitive in price, and within the
reach of  the average farmer.
I am not a writer, but just an
average  hard     working     farmer
who is  glad    to  tell  his    fellow
farmers of his success in tiling.
Ohio. John C. Scheid.
Horse Power Tile Ditching Machine Making First Cut.
in untiled  land.
What  a  Machine  Accomplishes.
In a very short time, an operator of
average intelligence can handle a machine so that very little If any bottoming is necessary. It does not require
an expert to be able to bottom and lay
from 75 to 100 rods of tile a day, following the machine, which will cut
over 300 rods per day. The cost of
tiling is thus reduced to a minimum.
Having my own teams, I need not figure the cost of horse hire. A man to
bottom the trenches, and lay the tile
averaging about 75 rods per day, keeps
the average cost of digging trenches
and laying the tile down to about 3 or
3 % cents per rod. Even if I had to
hire horses, which the average farmer
would not have to do, the three teams
would not cost to exceed $12 per day,
and in opening 300 rods of ditch it
would cost not to exceed 4 cents per
rod for cutting the ditch, and adding
to this 3 or 3 % cents per rod for bottoming and laying would keep the entire cost of the ditch down to 7 or 7 %
cents per rod.
By hiring horses, a saving of 15 to
20 cents per rod is possible, and by
having our own horses an additional
saving of 4 cents per rod can be made.
In   figuring   the   machine   at   its   min-
used in the purchase of tile, that otherwise would be paid out for digging.
Being able to do a large amount of
ditching in a short space of time, we
get the benefits from Increased crops
that would have been stretched out
over a period of years. By using our
machine, we have been able to do a
lot of tiling while others were thinking
about getting It done.
If tiling is beneficial then It Is to the
advantage of every farmer to have his
farm systematically drained, and the
quicker it is done, the quicker the
farmer derives benefits therefrom.
Many farmers would like to drain if
they could get the help, and my experience with a horse power ditching
machine having been so satisfactory, I
cannot refrain from recommending to
every farmer that he end his tiling
troubles by cutting his ditches with a
horse power  machine.
Cost of Machine Soon Repaid.
The cost of the machine will be
saved In every 30 to 40 acres he tiles,
placing the trenches from three to four
rods apart. In some places the drains
are placed closer and the cost of the
machine is saved in tiling fewer acres.
Without the assistance of modern
machinery the farmer would be helpless,  and   I  find   the  ditching  machine
THE FARM WORK  SHOP.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
What I would call a good farm
repair shop is a building large
enough to take ln any piece of
machinery, from the binder
down. When not in use for
general repairing such a building will always come handy for
sheltering some of the farm
tools.
A building large enough to admit the different tools or a
wagon, comes very handy to
work in during bad weather, and
by having a stove in the shop a
great deal of work can be don.'
in the winter. There should be
a forge, anvil. Iron vise, drill
press with drills, chisels, two
pairs of tongs, an assortment of
punches, cutting nippers, files,
hammer, monkey wrenches, etc.
This will give one a pretty good
iron working outfit. For wood
work there should be a rip saw,
a cross cut, draw knife, jack
"~* plane, brace and set of bits,
screw driver, hatchet, claw hammer,
spirit level, 24 inch steel square, set of
chisels, try square, a two foot folding
rule, a pair of pliers, and a carpenter's bench and vise. This will make
a very good outfit for wood word. It
is also convenient to have a few harness repair tools, as they come very
handy in a busy time. A leather
punch, rivet set, awls, harness clamp,
thread and wax for making waxed
thread. There can be many more tools
added if desired but this will give the
average farmer a pretty good outfit for
general repair work. Such a shop
should have two or three paint brushes
and some paint for painting up repairs.
For painting farm tools and wagons
red lead and oil are very good and
cheap. C. W. B.
Clinton  Co.
This spring sixty-nine students were
graduated from the Illinois College of
Agriculture. In the commencement
address. President Edmund J. James,
said: "The leaders among the farming
classes today, hold sounder, better and
more intelligent views of what is essential to the proper development and
spread of agricultural education and
are willing to sacrifice more for their
ideals than the leaders of any other
calling or profession."