CONTENTS 



Purposes of bulletin. Page. 



General statement 232 



I. Types of drainage. 



a. General grouping of land according to argicultural value 235 



(l.) Non-agricultural land 235 



(2.) Elevated agricultural land of hilly character 235 



(3.) Low lying agricultural portion of State where swamp and 



heavy clay is most abundant 2},(i 



b. Types of drainage conditions 236 



(i.) Pronounced swamp and marsh land 236 



(2. ) Heavy clay soil 238 



(3.) Rolling to hilly land of dififerent elevations 240 



II. Some historic phases of drainage in New York 242 



(i.) John Johnston, Geneva 243 



(2.) Theron G. Yoemans, Walworth 249 



III. Benefits of thoro drainage 251 



(i.) Removes excess water and firms soil 251 



(2.) Improves physical condition of soil 252 



(3.) Increases amount of available moisture 252 



(4.) Promotes soil aeration 253 



(5.) Promotes higher average soil temperature 253 



(6.) Increases available food supply 254 



(7.) Permits plants to make better use of food and moisture supply. 255 



(8.) Reduces winter injury from " heaving " 255 



(9.) Reduces injury from erosion 256 



(10.) Increases yield of crops 256 



IV. The practice of underdrainage 258 



a. Kinds of systems 259 



(I.) Natural 259 



(2. ) Gridiron 259 



b. Laving out tile drain systems 259 



(l.) Fall 261 



(2. ) Depth 262 



(3.) Outlets ; . . . 263 



c. Digging the ditch 264 



(i.) Hand tools and cciuipments 264 



(2.) Ditching machines 265 



(3.) Grading 266 



d. Laying and covering the tile 267 



(l.) Laying tile ■2(^7 



(2.) Protecting joints 267 



(3.) Filling ditch 267 



(4.) Sinks and silt basins 268 



e. Size of Lile 269 



f. Distance apart of drains 271 



g. Kinds of tile 272 



V. Cost of tile drainage 2.-72, 



VI. Permanency of tile drains '^■1^ 



VII. Stone drains 277 



VIII. Open drains 277 



Summary 278 



Appendix 279 



( I.) Drainage laws 279 



(2.) List of tile dealers 283 



231 



