104 Our Farming. 



are different. They have very slight fall, almost dead level some- 

 times, and often very long laterals. 



The first drainage in a new country is often done with stones, 

 if they are plenty, or with boards where lumber is very cheap. It 

 would hardly seem possible to our Ohio farmers, but I was in 

 sections last winter where lumber was so cheap and tiles simply 

 not to be thought of, that there is no doubt of the wisdom of 

 draining temporarily, to some extent, with boards. I have had 

 several letters lately from farmers, asking how to do this. Practi- 

 cally, I know nothing about draining with stones or boards, but I 

 feel sure this book may reach some sections where tiles are yet 

 unknown and will be for some time, and where there may be some 

 wet spots that the owner will want to drain badly, and where 

 lumber is worth but little more than we pay here for getting it 

 sawed. For benefit of such, I quote from an editorial in Country 

 Gentleman of recent date : 



" The simplest mode of construction is to secure inch boards, 

 six inches wide, and nail them together at the edges so as to form 

 a trough, -to be inverted in bottom of ditch like an inverted V. 

 * * * Well excluded from the air, durable kinds of wood may 

 last ten or fifteen or more years. ' ' 



But I was to tell you how you could tile drain your farm and 

 not run in debt, a safe way for everyone to go to work at it, a way 

 I can advise and from practical experience, too. You can, any of 

 you, manage to get tiles enough to drain an acre or two, say two 

 acres. Suppose you start at the natural outlet of a field, or part 

 of your farm. You decide where mains and laterals should be, 

 just as though you was intending to drain the whole thing, and 

 on size of tiles, etc. Then you buy enough to lay the main a 

 little ways and its laterals, until the two acres are thoroughly 

 drained. Maybe you can go without tobacco or a new overcoat 

 or something so as to buy the tiles. I have always done the 

 former and sometimes the latter. You can manage that little 

 matter anyway. Then study over this little book carefully until 

 you know just how to do. If there is a really good expert ditcher 

 in your vicinity go and watch him a w r hile ; but if he is a careless 

 workman I had rather you keep away. You can do the above in 

 very stormy days or winter evenings to get ready for spring work. 

 Then you can for once work some pretty bad days with your 

 man or sons, laying those tiles. If you have interest enough to 

 get this book and read it, you can do this much if you will, and I 

 predict after you get a going, you will become quite enthusiastic. 

 It stirs one up to see the water run out and the land become settled 

 and firm. Now, plow your field and crop it, the drained part the 

 same as the rest. If you have done your part well, you will 

 have a decided gain in yield. You may get ten or twenty 

 bushels more wheat or corn per acre. It would be well if you 

 could manage to drain the worst parts first, because then you 



