WINTER MEETING. 239 



One other thought comes to mind. How easy it is, in the busy months of 

 autumn, for vegetables that are being stored for winter to become damaged. Pota- 

 toes exposed to the light become green and bitter, and often the root crops wither 

 for lack of moisture or decay from having too much of it, while vegetables in pits 

 quickly mould if not watched and ventilated. It is not always possible to abso- 

 lutely control conditions of light, heat and moisture, but it is well to call to mind 

 the fact that uniformity in regard to these should be sought. 



J. C. Written, 

 Mo. Botanical Garden, St. Louis. 



UNDEK-DKAINAGE AND IKRIGATION. 



Bolton, Harrison Co,, Mo., Nov. 20, 1893. 

 Mr. L. A. Goodman, Secretary : 



As I promised you a paper on " Under-drainage and Irrigation," I will do the 

 best I can to make the subject plain. 



My farm is what would be called hilly— about an average of North Missouri 

 land. I have 400 rods of ditching. None of my land was ever too wet for corn of 

 a common season. 



My ditching was not to redeem wet land, but it was to improve the best land 

 that I had, and the improvement is far greater than 1 thought of; in fact, it gives 

 better returns than any other work ever done on the place. My outlay has been 

 $108. It has given me running water for my stock constantly for 15 years, and for 

 10 years before that we only had to draw water of a very dry time— a part of the 

 ditches now having been in operation 25 years. 



We have 300 rods of ditching to prepare a garden-spot of U acres. The gar- 

 den produces, on an average, $600 worth a year. We sell from $200 to $400 out of 

 the $600. We have no way of knowing the precise amount of gain caused by the 

 ditching. We believe the garden produces one-third more by being ditched, which 

 would be $200; allowing $100 for picking and marketing, leaves a net gain of $100, 

 and the stock water is worth more than $8 a year, so we will credit the ditching 

 with 100 per cent on the investment. 



The garden is 80 rods from the creek, and is 80 rods from the top of the hill. 

 It has a middle altitude ; is 50 feet higher than the creek, and is 50 feet lower than 

 the hill-top. From the center of the garden to the top of the ridge, on each side, 

 it is 30 rods. So it receives the surplus water and the soil that washes from the 

 30 acres. 



My garden is like a large pond made in a draw ; the embankment 16 feet high 

 in the center, 280 feet on top of the bank, from one ridge to the other, and this pond 

 filled with sand and soil, with a good drain under the center. The drain is now 16 

 feet below the garden, so the water, as it runs through the tank, does not freeze 

 over. This one ditch, covered as above described, would make a complete artifi- 

 cial spring that would water 200 head of stock of a dry time, and the garden would 

 be dryer than common hill land. 



In order to have my garden more complete, 1 cut four ditches from side to 

 side, across this a center ditch ; then cut two, one on each side of the garden, cross- 

 ing the outer ends of these four- all being three feet deep. The two side ditches are 

 200 feet apart where they cross through the bank at the lower end of the garden. 

 They are left open, and the water running out about half the time ; but when irri- 

 gation is needed, they are closed. They run together at the upper end of the gar- 

 den and connect with the irrigating ditch. 



