104 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



that the earth is always saturated at the level of the drains and that 

 the settling of the earth is limited to that portion which lies above 

 them. Clay tiles 2 'inches in diameter are used for all laterals, which 

 are usually planned so as to be not more than 800 feet long. A suc- 

 cessful method of measuring the volume of flow from the drains and 

 of determining the position of the water table of the soil between 

 them, and representing it above ground to the eye, has been put in 

 operation at the station. The growing season in this locality is short 

 and the winter long and severe, so that one summer season is required 

 to efi'ect the drainage of the land. Hand labor must be relied upon in 

 all the construction, and also largely in removing the native vegetation 

 previous to seeding the ground. 



The proper control of the water content of the soil is considered 

 essential. At the Bernau station good drainage is secured and suffi- 

 cient moisture conserved by drains placed 3 feet 4 inches to 3 feet 8 

 inches deej3. Rains occur almost every week. The climate is cool, 

 so that evaporation from the land is small. In northern Germany, 

 however, where the strata underlying the turf are sand, somewhat 

 facilitating the natural drainage, stops are sometimes placed in the 

 outlet ditches for the purpose of holding the water within 2 feet of 

 the surface. A considerable jDortion of this turf is of a less compact 

 character than that previously described. In general a depth of 1 

 meter (or 39 inches) and lines laid 20 meters (or 65 feet) apart are 

 found to give the best results in moor land. 



The cost of draining, even with labor as cheap as it is in that 

 country, is about $35 an acre, and the cost of preparing the land for 

 the first crop is $10 more, making the expense of draining and pre- 

 paring land for the first crop about $45 an acre. Before improve- 

 ment the land has a value of about $20 an acre, but after being re- 

 claimed and prepared for the production of crops it is worth $200 an 

 acre. It is reported at Bernau that the produce of the drained land 

 nets $13 per acre annually. 



The director of the Bernau station has made the following offer to 

 owners of moor land adjoining the station farm: The Government 

 will drain the land and turn it over to the owners at the end of three 

 years, well seeded to grass, asking only the use of the land during 

 that period and $8 an acre additional to be paid b}^ the owner at the 

 time the land is returned. Thus the owner will give $8 an acre and the 

 use of the land for three years for the reclamation of his moor. This 

 shows the financial side of the question quite clearly and indicates that 

 the owners of these lands may safely undertake their reclamation. 



Drainage, though the first essential, is by no means the only re- 

 quirement of these lands. Those having a sandy substratum require 

 a liberal treatment of lime and also of fertilizers containing potash 

 and phosphoric acid to fit them for producing the first crop. The 



