734 FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO. 



the water will flow, and a smaller-sized tile will answer. One 

 great consideration in draining land is to get the greatest 

 amount of water off in the shortest time possible, with the least 

 expense ; but a great many persons that I have noticed drain- 

 ing do the opposite of this. 



I had an open ditch on mv farm which drained a stream 

 which flowed naturally in the shape of an S ; the ditch was cut 

 six feet wide and three feet deep. In putting tile in this ditch 

 I commenced at the lower end as deep as the outlet would 

 allow, which was nearly four feet. I graded this ditch nearly 

 on a level, giving it just enough fall so the water would run, 

 and continued to give it more fall as I advanced up stream, but 

 instead of following the open ditch in the shape of an S, I cut 

 the S across, shortening the distance nearly one-half, by which 

 means I gave the ditch nearly twice the fall it had in following 

 the S-shape, although I had to cut through two ridges, one six 

 and the other ten feet deep, but the amount that was saved in tile 

 by this cut-off more than twice paid for digging this deep ditch. 

 By the time I had dug this ditch three-quarters of a mile it had 

 plenty of fall, and then had a depth, at the lowest place, of 

 over four feet ; a quarter of a mile further (being my upper 

 line), I gave it a good fall, making it at the upper end two and 

 a half feet deep ; I gave it this fall so that the pressure of the 

 water above would force it rapidly out below, where the fall 

 was less. I continued three six-inch tile in this ditch all the 

 way, branching the other four off as they were needed. 



Another big open ditch, that I converted into a tile drain, 

 which carried nearly as much water as the first, I 



DRAINED IN A DIFFERENT MANNER, 



which I like much better than the first. I commenced at the 

 lower end, at a depth of four and a half feet. This ditch was 

 so meandering that a straight line would save half the distance. 

 Commencing with four eight-inch tile, which I laid side by side 

 for a few rods, I then branched them off at a distance of about 

 four rods apart, continuing them about this distance until near 

 the upper end, when I brought them nearer together to take 



