88 



AGRICULTURE 



Plowing. Wet land may be drained to some extent by deep 

 plowing. It should be thrown up in narrow ' lands,' or ridges, from 



twenty to sixty 

 feet wide. The 

 1 dead ' or finish- 

 ing furrows 

 should be con- 

 nected by cross 

 furrows running 



On the left is a tile drain in place ; on the right is a section not yet ^ ^ j. CarrV off 

 covered. 



the water. 



Ditches and Underdrains. Where there is too much water to 

 be disposed of by deep plowing and water furrows, surface ditches 

 or underdrains should be used. All drains should be large enough 

 to carry off the surplus water and should lead gradually to the 

 lowest part of the field. 



Open ditches are cheaper, but less satisfactory, than under- 

 drains. They carry off in the 

 water much plant food and fine 

 particles of fertile soil, and they 

 interfere with the cultivation of 

 land. Where it is necessary to 

 use them, they should be broad, 

 with sloping sides, so that the 

 farmer can cross them with his 

 team. 



The best underdrains are tiles, 

 tubes made of clay. They are 

 out of reach of the plow ; do not 

 fill up like surface ditches, and take off surplus water, without 

 carrying off fine particles of soil. Good substitutes for tile drains 



An underdrain made with stones covered 

 with earth 



