124 TILE DRAINAGE 



there happens to be more water on the ground than the 

 drains will take away ; for in our locality at Medina, O., the 

 first obstacle to spring work is to get rid of the surplus 

 wetness. 



In riding over the country, whenever I see water standing 

 in cat-swamps or sink-holes, doing nobody any good, and 

 damaging the crop, or the chances of a crop, I feel a strong- 

 impulse to let the water oft'. If the owners of such places 

 enjoyed the work as I do, I verily believe they would sit up 

 nights to drain off these eyesores on the land, if they could 

 not manage it otherwise. How I do like to see the water 

 run away, like a liberated bird ! and then to witness the 

 dismay of the frogs, turtles, and other denizens of such 

 places, is worth almost as much, if not quite, as to see the 

 wonderful crops which always reward such labor. A swamp, 

 a low wet place, or a springy place, is always a delight to me. 

 If the springy place furnishes water the year round, then it 

 is indeed a little gold-mine at least, if the water in these 

 springs can be carried somewhere so as to make a nice water- 

 ing-trough for thirsty horses and cattle, to say nothing of 

 thirsty mankind. 



UTILIZING SPRINGY PLACES. 



Some time ago I visited a friend of mine who was trying to ' 

 raise celery. It was suffering from drouth. Not many rods 

 away was some beautiful rich muck ; but he could not do 

 any thing with it because it was too wtt. In fact, a stream of 

 water was even then running away from the place. In a 

 very few minutes I had followed the water to a point where 

 it evidently had its source in a clump of rank weeds and 

 bushes ; and in a little time we traced it to a place that was 

 even higher than his suffering celery. With only a few 

 hours' work his wet place could have been thoroughly drain- 

 ed, and the water from the spring carried to where his grow- 

 ing celery needed it ; for the spring was a little higher than 

 any part of the garden. And yet, in spite of all I could say, 



