2^6 Bulletin 254. 



each section of land. The land in each crop was divided into three 

 groups ; first, that naturally well drained ; second, that having poor natural 

 drainage, but no tile, and third, that having poor natural drainage and 

 tile. A percentage estimate of all crops on each class of land gave as an 

 average on the naturally well drained land 83.7 per cent, of a full crop; 

 on the poorly drained land without tile 64; and on the tile drained land 

 93 per cent. In order to form a more definite estimate of the benefit of 

 tiling, a comparison was made between the poorly drained and the tile 

 drained lands for each of the four crops, corn, barley, oats and hay. In 

 the case of corn there were forty acres of wet land planted, this gave an 

 estimated yield of twenty baskets per acre. There were seven hundred 

 and fifty acres of the drained land planted to corn which gave an average 

 yield of 102 baskets of ears per acre. In the case of barley, there were 

 330 acres of wet land planted which gave an average yield of 25.7 bushels 

 and 610 acres of tiled land which gave an average yield of 2)1-7 bushels 

 per acre. Of oats there were 340 acres on wet land which gave an aver- 

 age yield of 27.6 bushels and 500 acres on tile drained land 

 which gave an average yield of 43.8 bushels per acre. Of hay 

 1,050 acres of wet land yielded an average of two tons per acre and 

 280 acres of tile drained land were estimated to give the same average 

 yield." 



There is no question but that the same figures or even more favorable 

 ones would apply to many New York districts. 

 (6) P crmancncy of tile drains. 



The permanency of a tile drainage system depends 



upon the quality of the tile used, the conditions under 



which they are placed and the skill with which the tile 



are laid. Hard tile well placed form practically a 



permanent improvement. Some of the first tile laid 



in America are still in operation and are apparently in 



good condition. The Johnston, the Rose Hill and the 



Yoemens systems have been in operation for fifty 



years or more and in the main are in perfect working 



order to-day. Certainly this is true on the Johnston 



farm and Fig. 215 shows one of the tile which has 



been in the system that long. The failure of Mr. 



burned U HI'-- Yoemans to leave a plan of his drains together with 



/'^'."IV/'f"^,;!^''''''^ some neglect has permitted some of the outlets to be 



the outlet of one clogged, but there is abundant evidence that the 



/'/(''/ li^^^^^ohn- S^^^^^^ part of the system is still in good working 



ston farm near condition. No other improvement made on the farm 



Geneva, A. i . \^ more permanent in character when well executed 

 Still m sound ., , . 



condition. than tile dramage. 



