CHAPTER XI 

 DRAINAGE INDICATIONS 



IT seems desirable to set forth, specifically, a few of the 

 more important situations that indicate when drainage 

 is necessary. It often occurs that conditions exist which 

 produce effects in the way of crop failure, unsatisfactory 

 soil conditions, and the like ; and the farmer is unable to 

 comprehend the cause, or if so, he still fails to determine 

 upon the remedy and to apply it. The following para- 

 graphs will set forth, briefly, some of these conditions. 



248. Low flat areas of light soil. Probably the 

 commonest case is that of rather flat, low-lying areas, 

 where surface water does not lie long upon the ground. 

 It runs away largely as surface drainage or sinks quickly 

 into the ground. Because of this rapid disappearance, 

 and the absence of small long-standing pools upon the 

 surface of the ground, it is assumed that the land is well 

 drained. An examination, however, with spade or auger 

 may show that the water-table stands within two feet, 

 and often within a few inches of the surface of the land. 



It is not unusual to find areas of this sort with surface 

 soil a sand or sandy loam, which helps to mislead one as to 

 the real causes of misbehavior of the land. Recently an 

 appeal came from a farmer to the soils department of an 

 agricultural college, setting forth the peculiar behavior of 

 a field, and asking for advice as to methods of soil man- 

 agement to be employed and the brand of fertilizer that 



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