144 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



sists of emptying the tank as frequently as once in 

 twenty-four hours, and distributing its contents under- 

 neath the surface of the soil periodically (not continu- 

 ously) so that it will be absorbed and appropriated In- 

 growing vegetation. It should be noted, however, that 

 the soil has its limitations in the quantity of material it 

 will care for, and, further, that in time solid matter ac- 

 cumulates in the branch lines of tile which of course 

 have no outlet, requiring that they be taken up, cleaned 

 and relaid. The system serves an excellent purpose, 

 according to reports from localities where it has been 

 used during the last twenty years, and has proved much 

 regarding the sanitary value of a drained soil. 



To those who desire the conveniences of city 

 plumbing for country residences, nothing offers a better 

 solution of the disposal problem than the septic tank 

 which is now receiving the careful attention of drainage 

 engineers. It is called by some the biological method 

 of sewage disposal, a high-sounding term, yet one which 

 is possibly more suggestive of the true office of the tank 

 than any other. It claims a place in country sanita- 

 tion for the reason that it may be put in operation at 

 a small cost, and the effluent may be discharged into 

 ordinary soil drains without fear of any deleterious ef- 

 fects. 



The tank should be proportioned in size to the 

 number of persons occupying the house which it is in- 

 tended to serve. For an ordinary residence it may be 

 circular, four feet in diameter, and seven feet deep, 

 built of brick laid in cement mortar, and made water- 

 tight by an inner coat of mortar. It is set flush with the 

 surface of the ground, and made tight at the top with 

 an iron or stone cover. The sewage from the house is 

 brought to it by a pipe laid helow the frost line and 

 discharged into the tank through a downward bend. 

 The effluent passes out through a similar pipe placed 

 directly opposite. The action upon the contents of the 

 tank is accomplished by bacteria which are anaerobic 

 that is, they live and work without free air or oxygen. 

 A coat or scum forms upon the surface of the contents 

 of the tank after about a week has elapsed. The bac- 

 teria consume a large part of the organic matter and de- 

 posit an ash which settles to the bottom. The liquid 

 which flows away is thus deprived of from 50 to 90 per 

 cent of the organic matter, the completeness of action 

 depending somewhat upon the length of time which the 

 sewage is allowed to remain in the tank. The effluent, 

 purified to this extent, may flow off through soil or field 

 drains, where, coming in contact with air, another 

 change takes place, which is accomplished by another 

 kind of bacteria, known as aerobic, or those which re- 

 quire air for their development and growth. Some 

 sludge gathers in the bottom of the tank, which may be 

 removed as necessary, but from reports given of some 

 tanks, the amount of solid matter left is small. 



With the aid of tanks of this description for the 

 complete change and disposal of house sewage, the coun- 

 try resident may avail himself of the conveniences of the 

 city house at but a fraction of the cost to him of his 

 city sewer system, and enjoy that freedom of life so 

 conducive to health and congenial to his tastes. 



These matters have been but briefly outlined for 

 the purpose of showing the recent developments in sani- 

 tary matters and to suggest to the lovers of country life 

 that they need be deprived of but few of the conven- 

 iences usually considered the peculiar perquisites of 

 city life. The details of the plans described may prop- 

 erly form the subject of another article. 



TRACTION DITCHING. 



C |. VAN BUKEN, FINDLAY, OHIO. 



The age in which we live is progressive. The same 

 methods that were in vogue even a very few years 

 ago are no longer in accord with the spirit of the times. 

 It matters not what subject is under consideration, 

 the fact holds true. 



The subject I wish to discuss this time is traction 

 ditching. There was a time in some localities when 

 it was a comparatively easy matter to get men who 

 were quite expert in the digging of trenches for drain- 

 age purposes. This \\as before the days of the traction 

 ditcher. The same thing holds true of men in the 

 harvest field. Almost any of us can remember when, 

 in any grain growing locality, one could cotint the 

 men who were experts with the cradle by the score. 

 Greater acreage became a necessity. Hand labor was 

 no longer adequate in this field. So the self-rake made 



C. J. VAN BUREN, FINDLAY, OHIO. 



its appearance; later the harvester, and then the self- 

 binder, until today a man using a cradle in a harvest 

 field would be so great a curiosity that passers-by 

 would stop and look at him. 



Drainage is as yet in its infancy, but even now 

 in some sections the man with the spade is getting to 

 be a curiosity. Hand labor is being superseded by 

 machinery all around us, and yet hand labor seems to 

 be getting scarcer all the time. New fields are con- 

 stantly being opened up for labor, so that when the 

 demand is lessened for it in one place, there are always 

 new demands created. 



But I am getting away from my subject, traction 

 ditching. Drainage by hand can be accomplished only 

 in spring and fall, or in an open winter, while the 

 earth is moist and soft, for at other times the work is 

 entirely too expensive by this method. Here is where 

 the traction ditcher comes to its own. 



The machine to be successful for this work must 

 needs be able to cut the trenches while the earth 

 is moist and soft, but also when it is dry and hard. 

 It must be able not only to work when the conditions 

 are fine, that is, comparatively loose earth, but where 

 hard-pan (which, by hand, is impossible to cut, except- 

 ing with picks or by blasting) is encountered, which is 

 sometimes strewn with gravel and boulders. It must 



