TILE DRAINAGE 



BY F. W. TAYLOR. 



HISTORICAL. 



In the early history of under drain age the drains were 

 made by laying bundles of twigs or brush in the ditch and 

 covering them with ground, the water being expected to 

 trickle through the passageways left. In other cases three 

 or four round poles or two slabs with convex sides laid 

 together were placed in the ditch and covered. Sometimes 

 boards were set on edge in the form of an inverted trough. 

 All of these devices, however, were temporary and were of 

 service only about as long as the wood remained sound. 

 More permanent underdrains were later made by filling the 

 bottom of the ditch with small stones ; by setting flat stones 

 on edge in a V-shape ; or else by using three or four stones 

 and building a rectangular-shaped waterway. Brick were 

 sometimes used in place of stone, and in some instances 

 blocks of peat were utilized by cutting cylindrical cavi- 

 ties in them. Many of these early stone drains, which 

 were properly made, have lasted a long time and have 

 done good service, but their construction at the present 

 time has been largely superseded by the use of drain tile. 

 It is supposed that pipe tile were first used for drains in 

 France about 1600. About 1800 Mr. Parkes, an English- 

 man, placed sheets of clay around wooden cylinders and 

 when thoroughly dried drove the wood out. The horse- 

 shoe tile were imported into this country in 1835, and the 



