TILE DBAlNAGfe 71 



absorbing and efficient in retaining the moisture until there 

 is more than the plant-roots can hold, and then transmitting 

 it to the drains, rubbed of all its fertilizing matters. The 

 latter are retained in thr soil for the plants. This 36-acre field 

 is all thoroughly tiled (except between one and two acres 

 recently added from the pasture, and to be tiled this fall)* 

 and at this plowing, no dead-furrows (except three short 

 ones tilled nearly full) will be left to encourage surf ace- wash, 

 and there will be no surface-wash. A plan of the drainage 

 of this field will be given in one of the chapters on " How to 

 Drain/' 



CHAPTER VI. 

 When to Drain. 



This will be discussed, first, with reference to funds and 

 financial policy; i.e., When can we afford to drain? Sec- 

 ond, with reference to economy; /. e., What times of year 

 can we drain best and most cheaply ? 



First, then, When can we afford to drain V I answer, We 

 CUR not afford not to drain if we have land that we need for 

 tillage and rotation, and which is naturally unfit for it, but 

 which can be fitted for it by tile drainage. Shall we wait 

 till we are out of debt and have money to tile it, or shall we 

 tile it in order to get out of debt V The latter, as a rule. If 

 you are buying a clayey farm, buy a smaller one and spend 

 the rest of the purchase money (or debt for purchase) in ju- 

 diciously tiling all needed for present rotation, and increase 

 the drained area with increasing prosperity. If you already 

 own a clayey farm, sell part of it if you can (as I have lately 

 done 11 acres), and put the money received for it into tiling 

 some of that not sold (as I have just done). I practice what 

 I preach. If necessary, even run in debt cautiously, and as 

 little as possible, in order to tile, and then farm it your very 

 best to pay the debt. This I did while still pretty heavily in 



