INLAND DRAINAGE 131 



TILE DRAINAGE COSTS 



Tile drainage costs may be divided into two phases — that of 

 the tile delivered at the trench and that of the digging, laying 

 and filling. 



Prices of tile vary in the different sections of the United States, 

 being cheapest in the Middle West. In the East and South, 

 tile is about 50 per cent higher than in the Middle West, and in 

 the Far West about 70 per cent higher, according to Smith. 1 

 Haulage costs depend, of course, upon the distance. 



"Digging the ditch and laying and priming the tile are usually figured 

 as one operation," says Smith. 1 "This is done either at so much per rod 

 or by the day, the former being the more common practice ... On 

 ordinary soils in the Middle West, the average capacity of a good 

 workman with a 3-foot ditch and not over 5-inch tile is 10 rods a day. 

 In the East and South sometimes, on account of the character of the 

 soil, the capacity of a man is from 4 to 8 rods, with the same depth and 

 size of tile." 



"For tile trenching and laying by hand," says Yarnell, 2 "where 

 experienced men are employed, the rate of progress for one bottom man 

 and one top man, for the smaller sizes of tile not more than 3 feet deep, 

 is ordinarily 15 to 30 rods per day, depending largely upon soil condi- 

 tions. In some sections of the country where the use of unskilled colored 

 labor is necessary, the same number of men will put in, even with good 

 supervision, only 5 to 8 rods per day per man." 



VERTICAL DRAINAGE 



That vertical drainage is an economical and effective method 

 of eliminating pools of standing water in districts where the water 

 is held by an impervious stratum overlaying a pervious one has 

 been repeatedly demonstrated. The principle of course, is to 

 sink a hole through the impervious layer so that the water may 

 escape through the porous material. This may be sand or gravel 

 or limestone and other formations that contain seams and 

 fissures. 



While there is a degree of uncertainty about vertical drainage, 

 the costs are so low, where the pervious material lies close to the 



1 "Tile Drainage on the Farm," Farmer's Bulletin 524, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, 1917. 



? " Trenching Machinery L'sed for the Construction of Trenches for Tile 

 Drains," Farmer's Bulletin 698, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1915. 



