98 — How to Make the Garden Pay. 



(Faulty Construction). 



of constructing the drain have to be found. I have used board 

 troughs with excellent results. The poorest kind of lumber may 

 be utilized for this purpose. Two boards are nailed together at 

 right angles, and held firmly in place by strips nailed diagonally 

 across. 



Usually such troughs are laid directly upon stiff clay bottom 

 carefully graded, or upon a line of boards placed upon soft bot- 

 tom, pointed side up, as 

 here illustrated. This 

 construction, however, is 

 decidedly faulty. The 

 water has a chance to 

 spread out quite widely. 

 Consequently it moves 

 with very little force, 

 and will continually de- 

 positsediment, gradually 

 filling up the trough. If 

 he trough is inv^erted, 

 as shown in the next 

 illustration, so that the water runs in a narrow and deep little 

 stream, it will have sufficient force to carry all the sediment 

 along with it. 



Stones and pebbles, where plentiful, can be used to good 

 advantage also ; but to get a properly constructed drain with 

 such material, the inexperienced owner will always find it safest 

 and cheapest to have the work done by somebody that under- 

 stands it. Tile is always best, and clr?ins thus made will be of 

 more lasting value. AH stone drains are quite liable to get 

 choked up after awhile, since 

 it is almost impossible to keep 

 the soil from washing and work- 

 ing among the stones, and finally 

 fill up the throat. 



The Advantages of Un- 

 DERDRAiNiNG. — As oue of the 

 most beneficial results of good 

 underdraining on many soils, the 

 crops are given more root room. 

 The roots of almost all our garden crops (and field crops also) 

 thrive in moist soil, but not in that which is wet or water-logged, 

 and they are stopped when they come to the soil water. Under- 

 draining lowers the soil water level, allows the roots to go deeper, 

 and therefore gives them more room to work in. Each plant 

 needs a certain amount or weight of soil for its best development. 

 Jf it can feed cleeper it will not require as much surface, and hence 



Board Trough 

 (Proper Construction). 



