1830 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



For tile drains the ditches are usually dug twelve to fifteen inches 

 wide, according to depth, and with vertical sides in order to minimize 

 the amount of earth moved. The bottom is finished with a compact 

 surface and a small lateral curvature, in order to afford 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 pebbles or earth in order to hold it in place. Where the 

 ditch is deep and narrow, a hook is sometimes used to place the tile. 



Fig. 50. — Tools Jor ditching 

 I and 2. Ditching spades for removing the major part of the earth from the ditch 



3. Grading scoop used to finish the bottom of the ditch and the grade 



4. Skeleton spade adapted for use iji very plastic soil 



5. Shovel for removing crumbs and loose earth 



6. Hook used to place tile in deep, narrow trenches 



7. Pick for loosening stone and hard earth 



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 be trimmed off with a sharp spade. This should be done carefully, 

 as should also the tramping, in order to avoid pushing the tile out of line. 

 As soon as the tile are covered three or fovu- inches deep, one may proceed 

 to fill the ditch roughly, using shovels, a team hitched to a plow with a long 

 evener, or a horse and a dump scraper. On long lines of ditch the filling is 

 sometimes done with a road scraper. 



