1832 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



$43.80 per acre. The soil was a clay loam containing a few stones. A large 

 part of the drains were arranged systematically. 



In New York State much of the land is stony and frequently has a 

 subsoil that exhibits hardpan properties. Such soil is more difficult to 

 excavate, the cost per rod is higher, and the drains must be more fre- 

 quent — all of which increase the cost of drainage per acre. 



Where a few lines of tile are laid in wet places, the cost per acre wiU be 

 less than where the drains are placed at regular intervals. The farmer 

 had best begin by draining the wettest places, having in mind that he may 

 wish to extend the system. 



returns from drainage 



The returns from drainage are large. As a matter of fact very little 

 land is well drained naturally. 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 frequent 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 that had been tilled 

 but that was more or less wet have usually paid for themselves in four or 

 five years, and often in much less time. 



A very considerable part of the returns from underdrainage is due to 

 increased efhciency of the farm equipment. Since drained land quickly 

 comes into condition to permit tillage in the spring and after rains, the 

 farmer has more time to work the land. The seasons are made longer, 

 and less preparation is necessary in order to get land ready for a crop, 

 for the soil has less tendency to puddle. Further, the crop grows more 

 uniformly and ripens at one time. Not only is the nonnal yield con- 

 siderably increased, but the risk of loss of labor, seed, and fertilizer 

 is much reduced. An experienced farmer has remarked that " under- 

 drainage is the acme of good farming." 



The life of a well-constructed tile drain should be measured by decades 

 and centuries, rather than by years. 



LAWS relative TO DRAINAGE 



It is frequently necessary for a farmer to seek an outlet for drainage 

 water across or on a neighbor's land. The value of land drainage to the 

 public is being more and more recognized, and provision is being made 

 for its installation. It is now possible for a person to require his neighbor 



