DRAINING THE SOIL 65 



on these soils, after the water has been drained off, in 

 order to sweeten them. 



Drainage. What is the farmer to do with low, wet 

 ground ? Evidently there is but one thing to do drain 

 off the water. There are two methods of draining this 

 water off, the open ditch and the tile drain. To begin 



THE SAME FIELD AFTER BEING TILE DRAINED. 



with, the land may be so low and flat that no kind of 

 drainage is possible. This, of course, may be deter- 

 mined by noting the level of the water in the nearest 

 stream. If it is within a foot or two of the surface of 

 the land and overflows with every heavy rain, easy 

 drainage is impossible. But if the surface of the soil is 



