118 TILE DRAINAGE. 



with a heavy plow in a pretty damp time, making a total 

 depth of some 15 or 16 inches. A single spade-depth with a 

 long spade, and a groove cut with the bottom ing-scoop, fin- 

 ished the digging, and most of the tilling was done with the 

 plow and team ; and in the first plowing of the land there- 

 after the back furrows (as usual) were thrown into the 

 former dead-furrows, and the tilling was complete, and the 

 land leveled up. The conclusion of No. 3 of this series, Tlw 

 Country Gentleman, April 11, 1878. is as follows, slightly 

 condensed : 



Two men can thus average fifty rods a day together (each 

 taking a ditch thus plowed, and digging one depth in it). I 

 follow ; cut a true smooth groove about an inch and a half deep, 

 with the regular ditchers' *' scoop " or groove-cutter; distribute 

 the tiles from the piles, lay them carefully />/ hand, walking on 

 them as I lay them, to settle them firmly; and fill in the earth 

 thrown out by the spades, packing it firmly around and above the 

 tiles. Thus three of us do the entire handwork of fifty rods in a 

 day. The rest of the clay and all the soil is to be filled in with 

 team and plow after the handwork is all done. Each night, or 

 whenever rain interrupts, all the handwork should be finished as 

 far as begun straw wads put in the exposed ends of the tiles, and 

 the water turned aside from the ditch above, if necessary. 



If the field is very stony, two men can hardly dig fifty rods this 

 one course, but in most of the fields of mine and neighboring 

 farms they can. I used to dig the bottom course with a very 

 narrow " bottbming-spade," Just wide enough to receive the tiles. 

 But 1 find that most men win dig faster with a six-inch or a four- 

 inch spade, and one can cut the gutter, or groove, better if the 

 ditch is wide enough to walk in, and to curve the groove slightly 

 to avoid fixed stones. In case of a very heavy stone, sunk directly 

 in the line of the ditch, I find it better to curve the whole ditch 

 gradually a foot or two right or left than to spend time to remove 

 or sink the stone. The curve is easily made, as the upper part of 

 the ditch is already made so wide with the team.* 



In filling the rest of the ditch, the loose clay thrown out by the 

 plow should first be plowed back, the off horse walking in the 

 ditch to tramp it; then a furrow or two of so ; .l from each side, the 

 off horse still walking directly over the tiles as much of the time 

 as possible. One day with man and team will do all the team- 

 tilling for the field. 



We have, then, the entire cost of draining the fifteen acres 2^ 

 feet deep, and 2 rods apart, taking present prices of tile and labor 

 here : 



* Such a curve is shown in Fig:. 20, page 80. 



