THE WATER IN THE SOIL 

 Drains and Drainage 



If there is an open ditch in your locahty, notice it 

 carefully, especially after a rain. Does the water run 

 into it through the vertical sides, and does it have the 

 effect of causing the neighboring soil to dry out more 

 quickly than if the ditch were not there? 



If you can find the place where a tile ditch opens into 

 a brook, notice the water pouring out of the tile. Where 

 did it come from? What is the effect upon the field 

 of thus placing tiles in the bottom of the ditch and cover- 

 ing them over? 



Find out, if you can, what fields in your locality have 

 been drained by means of tile drains. Notice whether 

 such fields are in better condition than similar fields 

 without such drainage. 



Free Water in the Soil 



Just after a rain the soil in your garden is likely to be 

 very wet. If you dig down two or three feet the hole 

 will probably fill with water. If you dig a ditch so that 

 this water can run away, you will soon cause the surplus 

 moisture in the soil to disappear, so that if you should 

 dig another hole no water would come into it. 



The water that has thus accumulated in the bottom of 

 the hole or has run away through the drain is called the 

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