1668 Eepoet of Fakmeks' Ixstitutes 



The large plow is suitable for the individual fanner who has 

 a considerable area to drain and has the horses for other purposes. 

 The tractor ditcher costs so much that it is seldom a single farm 

 is large enough to justify its purchase. It mav be purchased 

 jointly by a number of farmers "who have drains to be constructed, 

 or it may he purchased by one person and ditches dug by con- 

 tract. Machines have been put into several communities for this 

 purpose. 



For tile drains the ditches are usually dug from twelve to fif- 

 teen inches wide according to depth, and with vertical sides to 

 minimize the amount of earth moved. The bottom is finished 

 with a compact surface and a small lateral curvature to aiford a 

 good base for the tile. 



LAYING THE TILE 



The tile are best laid by hand by a person in the ditch who 

 should work backward and place each tile firmly in position, and 

 if necessary wedge it a little with pebldes or earth to hold it in 

 place. Where the ditch is deep and narrow a hook is sometimes 

 used to j)lace the tile. 



BLINDING THE TILE 



As soon as the tile are laid they should be lightly covered with 

 earth which process is known as back filling or blinding. The 

 sides of the ditch may l)e trimmed off with a sharp spade. This 

 should be carefully done as should also the tramping to avoid 

 pushing the tile out of line. As soon as the tile are covered 

 three or four inches deep one may proceed to fill the ditch roughly 

 with shovels, or with a team hitched to a plow by the nse of a 

 long evener, or by ineaiis of a horse and dump scraper. On long 

 lines of ditch the filling is sometimes done with a road scraper. 



ENTRANCE OF ROOTS INTO TILE 



The tile is sometimes stopped by the development of roots 

 which gain entrance through the jdiiits. The depth at which 

 the tile are laid has very little to do with this difficulty. It is 

 determined by the presence of a perpetual flow of water in the 

 tile from some spring. In dry periods this water seeps from the 



