1670 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



rod was from 17.5 cents to 94.5 cents. The average cost of trench- 

 ing with the machine was 17 cents per rod. The cost of drainage 

 on this farm was from $29.74 to $43.80 per acre. The soil is a 

 clay loam containing a few stones. A large part of the drains 

 were arranged svstematicallv. 



Of t. 



Where a few lines of tile are laid in wet places the cost per 

 acre will he less than where the drains are placed at regnlar in- 

 tervals. The farmer would Ix'st beoin bv draininij the wettest 

 places having in mind that he may wish to extend the system. 



RETURNS rRO:\r DKAIXAGE 



The returns from drainage arc large. As a matter of fact 

 very little land is naturally well drained. Drainage will usually 

 increase the yield of crops. The value of such increase depends 

 on the nature of the crop. Some special crops such as flowers, 

 ginseng and certain vegetables will quickly pay for a very fre- 

 quent system of drains even as close as ten feet if the land is 

 naturally wet. In mixed farming and fruit growing it is the 

 observation of many practical farmers that the need for drainage 

 is increasingly apparent under the usual system of cropping and 

 that a moderate amount of drains well placed is about the best 

 investment that can be made on the farm. Systems of drains in 

 land which had been tilled but which was more or less wet have 

 usually paid for themselves in four or five years and often in 

 much less time. 



The life of a well constructed tile drain should be measured 

 by decades rather than by years. 



LAWS RELATIVE TO DRAINAGE 



It is frequently necessary for one to seek an outlet for drainage 

 water across or upon a neighbor's land. The value of land drain- 

 age to the public is being more and more recognized and pro- 

 vision made for its installation. It is now possible for a person 

 to oblige his neighbor to let him have a right of way to a suitable 

 outlet for drainage water. The person benefited must of course 

 pay the cost of construction to secure the outlet. In these cases 

 where a large area of land embodied in several farms is involved 

 cooperative action is essential. 



