THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 301 



two rows of tile are laid in one ditch, with a water- -cr -.00 



passage between them, as shown by Fig. 132, it is _ ^_ 



best to sink a channel, not more than an inch 

 deep, between the tile, for the purpose of prevent 

 ing the water from undermining any of the tile. 

 The preceding remarks refer solely to pipe tile. 

 But, as many knowing ones will persist in having 

 half-round or horse-shoe tile although I do 

 not approve of that form of tile (see paragraph 

 438) I will give directions for 



LAYING HALF-ROUND OB HORSESHOE TILE. 



413. If the young farmer will have horseshoe tile, they should 

 always be placed on soles, which are flat pieces of burnt clay, of 

 the same length and width as the tile, and not less than half an inch 

 thick. These soles are placed firmly in the bottom of a ditch, 

 and the tile placed on them so as to break joint near the middle 

 of the soles. But both soles and tile are so frequently warped 

 and twisted, that there is sufficient room, in some places, between 

 the soles and the tile, for meadow mice or moles to enter the 

 water-passage and haul in dirt, and thus obstruct the flow of the 

 water. Some farmers lay a narrow board or plank in the bottom 

 of a ditch, and place a row of horseshoe tile on the boards ; but 

 such a practice cannot be denounced too strongly. Boards are 

 so liable to decay in places, and thus allow some of the tiles to 

 sink below others, that we cannot calculate with certainty that a 

 drain will not be obstructed within a few years, when the tile are 

 laid on boards. Perhaps most of the boards might last, in the 

 bottom of the drain, thirty or forty years ; but if there should be 

 only one or two poor places in the boards, an obstruction would 

 be formed in a few years. When the bottom of a ditch is very 

 hard, large half-round tile may be laid in the bottom, and sub 

 serve a good purpose; but they should never be placed on 

 boards. When the ground is hard they will never sink one- 

 eighth of an inch ; but, where they would be liable to sink with 

 out a board under them, soles or sole-tile should be used, but 

 boards never. When small horseshoe tiles are laid in a ditch 

 with boards, it would be far better to sink a narrow channel in 



