226 SOILS 



into the ditch; inexperienced men had better lay 

 the tiles by hand. 



The joints should be as close as possible; here is 

 the place for extreme care. There is no danger 

 that water will not enter the tiles freely enough, 

 even with the closest joints, but there is always 

 danger that soil will wash into the tiles. All tiles 

 have a slight curve; turn them in the bottom of 

 the ditch until they fit against each other snugly. 

 If junction or branch tiles are not used at the 

 junction of the laterals with the main, the former 

 may be let into the latter through a hole cut into 

 the main with a small pick or short, pointed hammer; 

 but the two should be joined very neatly and the 

 joint packed with clay. A better way is to pick a 

 nole in the top of the main, another near the end of 

 the last tile of the lateral, and place the two open- 

 ings together after plugging the end of the lateral 

 with a stone and clay. Some drainage experts 

 think it pays to put cloth, paper, sod, and 

 other coarse materials over tne joints before 

 filling in the soil: others find this is not 

 necessary. 



FILLING THE DITCH 



In filling the ditch be especially careful not to 

 displace the tiles and to get the soil packed tightly 

 about them, so that there may be no chance for a 

 water channel outside the tiles. Usually it is best 

 to cover the tiles four to eight inches deep as fast 

 as they are laid, using the soil last thrown out, if 

 it is clay. This is done by a man in the ditch 

 following the man who lays the tiles, while a third 

 man on the bank shovels in soil, being careful not 

 to throw in large stones. This is tramped around 



