46 TILE DRAINAGE. 



makes manures and fertilizers tell so much better. It is most 

 fortunate for us owners of clayey farms, that good commer- 

 cial fertilizers give such remarkable results on them as soon 

 as they are tiled. 



EFFECTS OF TILE DRAINAGE ON THE PERMANENCE OF 

 FERTILIZERS AND CROPS, AND UPON WEEDS. 



The companion photo-engravings, Figs. 18 and 14, illus- 

 trate this. The photographs were both taken June 5, 1891, 

 before the timothy had begun to show any signs of heading. 

 In Fig. 18 the land is tiled ; in Fig. 14, not. All other condi- 

 tions were alike, except, as in all the other cases, that the un- 

 tiled part lies nearest the street and the barn, and Ms hnd most 

 manure in the past 80 years, to my certain knowledge, and 

 has a better slope. Now examine the engravings. In Fig. 

 18 the timothy is very dense and thrifty, about two feet 

 high, and scarcely a weed or plantain could be found. In 

 Fig. 14 the timothy is thin, scarcely covers the ankles, and is 

 full of weeds, especially of that miserable pest of thin, wet 

 soils, the broad-leaved plantain, large numbers of which are 

 clearly seen in the engraving, or, at least, in the original 

 photograph. The two photographs are of the two parts (end 

 to end) of one strip. Both were sown to timothy and clover 

 mixed, in the growing wheat, six years ago last spring, with 

 superphosphate and fine, pure bone meal, but no manure. 

 In two years most of the clover had a gone out," especially 

 on the part not tiled, Fig, 14. Gradually the timothy has 

 thinned out, too, on the undrained part, and weeds and 

 plantain have come in in its place, and crowded out still 

 more of the timothy. This year the tiled part had fully twice 

 as much My per acre, and it was as fine timothy as you or I 

 ever saw 40 big loads (cocked over night, and compact) on 

 the whole ten acres. On the tiled part the timothy was as 

 heavy as ever before as heavy as I ever saw, and it seems 

 almost a sin to plow the sod up for wheat, as I am now doing 

 (Aug. 10, 1891), simply because it has been "down " in grass 



