30 TRUCK FARMING 



shallow, and will feed plants accordingly, which fact has been 

 often demonstrated during protracted drouths. Especially is this 

 true where clay or muck predominates. Thorough drainage will 

 work wonders, as has often been evidenced in the enormous 

 increase in productions where it has been accomplished. 



In soil where clay, marl or muck predominates the lateral 

 ditches should be deep rather than wide. A large proportion of 

 the failures recorded can be directly attributed to either the 

 entire omission of any kind of drains, or drains of insufficient 

 capacity or depth to remove the acid stagnant waters or to allow 

 the air free access to decompose the ingredient vegetable matter. 

 Just how long these useful bacteria can exist under water has 

 not been ascertained, but they are known to live in running water 

 for a much longer time than in stagnant water, thus proving that 

 land containing active drains can be overflowed with much less 

 damage to the soil than when undrained. Drainage is therefore 

 of the utmost importance to the practical and scientific agricul- 

 turist, and where it does not exist naturally it must be supplied 

 artificially. 



Soil of a compact nature can be drained with tile laid under 

 ground when the fall is sufficient with splendid results, but when 

 the land is very level, and in a country where great quantities of 

 rain fall in a very short time, open ditches of sufficient depth and 

 capacity are preferable. The larger of these ditches, say eight 

 feet or over in width, offer splendid transportation facilities for 

 the removal of crops of a bulky nature, or to bring in fertilizing 

 material, etc. 



The smaller sub-lateral ditches should be dug about 18 inches 

 deep and close enough together to remove the surface water in a 

 few hours after a hard rainfall. These sub-lateral ditches should 

 be placed about 20 to 30 feet apart. These same ditches can be 

 used for irrigation by forcing the water through them by way of 

 head ditches. Of course, this applies only to a level country, and 

 land that can be drained in this way, if otherwise suitable, can 

 be used for planting trees, especially if the land is plowed two or 

 three times, throwing the earth in the same direction, forming a 



