Land Drainage and Soil Efficiency 



1820 



the main, so that the water from the lateral will have a slight drop. The 

 grade of the last few feet of the lateral drain may need to be increased 

 in order to secure this construction. It is a good plan to use junction 

 tile that have the proper size of connection. For example, a lo-inch by 

 4-inch junction means a ten-inch tile that is cut to receive a four-inch 

 lateral. If the junction is made by cutting the tile by hand with a trowel, 

 the union should be well bedded in cement, after first laying around the 

 tile a single layer of paper in order to prevent the cement from running 

 into the tile. 



construction of trenches 



Short ditches may be dug by hand, using spade, pick, and shovel. The 

 lack of adequate help often makes it difficult to get extensive drainage 

 systems constructed in this way. The use of horse and machine powers 

 reduces the difficulty of construction somewhat. If the land is very 

 stony or full of roots, hand labor must be employed, perhaps with the use 

 of dynamite. On land that is not too stony, the ditching plow drawn by 

 one or more teams is very helpful. There are on the market a number of 

 plows that are very useful for this purpose. Next in complexity is the 

 large ditching plow equipped with wheels and drawn by several teams. 

 This plow tears up the soil and elevates it out of the ditch. There are 

 two or three machines of this type, such as the Cyclone and the Bennett. 

 Finally, there are the large engine-driven ditching tractors, including 

 the Buckeye, the Austin, and the Pawling machines, which cost upward of 

 twenty-five hundred 

 dollars. 



The large plow is 

 suitable for the in- 

 dividual farmer 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 may be purchased 

 conjointly by a 

 number of farmers who have drains to be constructed, or it may be pur- 

 chased by one person and the ditches may be dug by contract. Machines 

 of this kind have been put into several communities for this purpose. 



Fig. 49. — Ditching plow used for loosening the earth in the 

 bottom of the ditch. A number of patterns of plows of 

 this type are on the market. The handles and the hitch 

 are usually adjustable, in order to suit the depth of the 

 trench. The plow is draivn by two or more horses, attached 

 to along evener so that they travel on either side of the trench 



