AGRICULTUKAL EXGl^' EEILING. 139 



XL AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING. 



REASONS FOR TILE-DRAINING LAND. 



(Chamberlain.*) 



Land should be drained, because: 



1. Tile drainage makes all tillage and harvesting operations 

 easier and more rapid, physically and mechanically. 



2. Drainage removes both the excess surface-water, and the 

 surplus water in the soil and the subsoil. 



3. Drainage prevents loss of fertility by surface wash. 



4. Drainage will add fertility to the soil with each rainfall. 



5. Drainage helps to warm the soil as well as to dry it, giv- 

 ing best conditions for plant growth. 



6. Drainage lengthens the season of tillage, crop, growth, 

 and harvest. 



7. Drainage increases the extent of root pasturage. 



8. Drainage helps to disintegrate the soil and make pulveri- 

 zation possible. 



9. Drainage greatly diminishes the effect of frost in heaving 

 out wheat, clover, etc., in winter and spring. 



10. Drainage on clayey soils helps the crops to resist drought 

 better. 



11. Drainage often, though not always, diminishes the sud- 

 denness and violence of floods. 



12. Drainage, both open and with tiles, improves the health 

 of a region. 



•Tile Drainage, by W. I. Chamberlain, Medina, Ohio, 1891, 35 cents. 



