138 TILE DRAINAGE. 



three days poured down near the cherry-tree mentioned. In 

 fact, it had made a little puddle around the tree before any- 

 body had noticed it. For fear it might receive injury, an 

 open ditch was made out to the main ditch, to take the sur- 

 plus water away. But we were too late. The tree, although 

 it had commenced to put out its buds with wonderful thrift 

 and luxuriance, came to a standstill and died. It seems to 

 me the water could not have been around the roots more 

 than three days. I have seen evergreens on our present 

 ground killed in the same way. They were planted through 

 a depression, where water stood occasionally during very 

 heavy rains. A succession of heavy rains kept this place full 

 of water for perhaps 48 hours. Then a ditch was dug, and 

 some tiles put in ; but it was too late they were dead died 

 from drowning, i. e., being held underwater longer than 

 they could stand it. This brings me to one of the main 

 points in regard to surplus drains. On our rich market-gar- 

 den ground, where we have put on manure year after year at 

 the rate of forty or fifty loads per acre, the ground has not 

 only become very rich, but very soft, and easily worked. 

 Well, in gathering the crops we are sometimes obliged to go 

 over the ground when it is pretty wet. It gets tramped 

 down hard, to the great detriment of the growing crops. 

 Our plant-beds, however, are never tramped on. As they 

 are only six feet wide, one can reach from the edges to the 

 center of the bed, and the boys are forbidden to ever set foot 

 on this thoroughly tilled and heavily fertilized soil. The 

 consequence is, we get crop after crop from these beds, with 

 very little digging up more than is required by the rake. 

 The beds being only six feet wide, and paths between them, 

 they make the most perfect surplus drainage. In fact, the 

 beds are raised perhaps four inches higher than the path. 

 This, of course, makes them dry out quicker during a very 

 dry time. But here comes in our big windmill, with its 1600- 

 barrel tank. Hydrants are located among the plant-beds 

 about 100 feet apart, so 50 feet of hose, with the sprinkler at- 



