146 The Sugar-Beet in America 



experience that when twelve or fifteen dollars are spent 

 in drainage, the value of the land is increased from twenty- 

 five to fifty or more dollars. 



Kinds of drains. 



Any one method of drainage is not suitable for all con- 

 ditions, nor is it always practicable to employ the method 

 that might seem best. The entire set of conditions must 

 be taken into consideration before deciding just how to 

 drain a piece of land. Open ditches are probably the 

 cheapest method of carrying away the water. They are 

 used to advantage in draining ponds and other surface 

 accumulations. The chief advantages of the open drain 

 are : (1) the cheapness with which it can be constructed, 

 and (2) the ease with which it can be cleaned. Some 

 disadvantages are that it renders waste the land occupied 

 and cuts the land area into small fields that are difficult 

 to get at. The open ditches become filled with falling 

 earth and weeds, and are a constant source of danger to 

 farm animals. 



Some form of covered drain is usually preferable for 

 ordinary purposes. With the covered drain, a trench 

 is dug and some material that will allow water to pass 

 through is placed in the bottom. This is covered later 

 with earth. Some of the materials used for such drains 

 are rocks, brush, lumber, clay tile, and cement tile. The 

 last two are by far the most common. Where clay tile 

 can be secured, it is recommended under almost all con- 

 ditions, especially for land high in alkali. 



