THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



119 



DRAINING IRRIGATED SHALE LAND 



Factors to Be Considered by Land Owners in Installing a Successful System. 



Much difficulty has been experienced by own- 

 ers of irrigated shale lands in the West in installing 

 satisfactory drainage systems. A study of this prob- 

 lem has now been made by the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture and the results of the investigation 

 published in a professional paper, Bulletin No. 502, 

 entitled "Drainage of Irrigated Shale Land." 



The three essential factors, this publication de- 

 clares, for the successful drainage of shale lands 

 are: (1) proper location of drains; (2) sufficient 

 depth, and (3) relief wells. 



Seepage areas in shale lands occur almost in- 

 variably where pressure conditions exist and the 

 movement of the water is upward. In only a few 

 cases is it possible to place the drains, except at a 

 prohibitive expense, deep enough to reach the sup- 

 ply of water that causes the saturation. Water- 

 carrying zones of shale have frequently been found 

 at depths of 30 feet below the surface. Since the 

 movement of the water is upward through the joints 

 and fissures in the shale, attempts to drain such 

 areas by tile drains aione will be unsuccessful, as 

 evidenced by the fact that flowing springs have been 

 found within ten feet of a trench seven feet deep. 

 Under such conditions it is necessary to supplement 

 the tile drains with relief wells. A relief well is 

 nothing more or less than an artesian well ; that 

 is to say, it is driven from the bottom of the tile 

 trench, through a comparatively impervious stratum 

 into one carrying water, and the water enters the 

 well under pressure and is conducted to the tile 

 drain. 



The most efficient depth for relief wells, the 

 bulletin states, has been found to range, according 

 to local conditions, from six to twenty feet below 

 the bottom of the tile drain. Each of these wells 

 influences only a small area surrounding it and it 

 is, therefore, desirable that they should be closely 



spaced. In many cases there should be five or six 

 to each 100 feet of trench. A diameter of two inches 

 has been found sufficient for the wells and in most 

 of the shales the wells have been installed with a 

 soil auger, though hard strata may require the 

 use of a churn drill. 



The quantity of water developed by the system 

 is greatly influenced by the depth of the tile drains. 

 This never should be less than six feet, the bulletin 

 says, and depths of from seven to eight feet are 

 better. 



To be successful, the installation of the drain- 

 age system must be preceded by a careful and com- 

 plete examination of the topography and under- 

 ground conditions. The drains must be located so 

 as to tap the contributing shale features such as 

 ridges, points, knolls, etc. Owing to the frequent 

 irregularity of the shale formation it is often a slow 

 and laborious process to obtain a correct idea of 

 it. This, however, is essential if the drains are 

 to be so placed that they will do the work for which 

 they are designed. 



The average cost of draining shale lands in the 

 region covered by the bulletin is placed at from $13 

 to $100 an acre for the area actually affected. From 

 12 cents to 25 cents per linear foot of trench is the 

 estimate for the cost of installing tile drains and 

 relief wells. This estimate, however, does not in- 

 clude the cost of any material. It is based on a 

 labor cost of 25 cents an hour. 



In conclusion, the bulletin points out that once 

 seepage trouble has developed in shale lands, the 

 affected area increases rapidly. Furthermore, the 

 quantity of alkali salts near the surface of the ground 

 also increases rapidly in waterlogged lands of this 

 type. For this reason land owners will save money 

 and secure more satisfactory results if they install 

 their drains at the first indication of trouble. 



HIGH COST OF LIVING IS IN THE BUYING 



Let the people demand Legislation to take care 

 of the man in business who is lacking experience 

 and knowledge in buying is one of the solutions to 

 the food question, the Law to apply especially to 

 the Butcher and the Grocer. The ordinary run of 

 business is working at a disadvantage owing to the 

 fact that the middle man is reaping the profits and 

 the consumer is developing "Hysteria" one cause 

 of the high cost of living. 



Normally the general public is unable to solve 

 the food problem, the shrewd business man or 

 woman invites criticism, because of their knowledge 

 of good business material the margin in business 

 is the necessary element to create confidence in our 

 general welfare. 



The packers and the stock raisers are the bal- 

 ance-wheel of intelligence in our commercial and 

 industrial centers, the food-producing elements con- 

 trolled by proper methods holding one's better judg- 

 ment in reserve until a better method can be ad- 

 vanced. No reasonable man or woman can exercise 



intelligence in buying until they know some of the 

 material facts pertaining to the system of food 

 handling. The food producer becomes the loser if 

 he does not properly care for his distribution, hence, 

 the reasonable solution to the food question is the 

 establishment of a food bureau the food bureau 

 to be similar to the weather bureau. 



Thus the over and under production of our 

 food supply would be properly cared for the under- 

 lying principle of good government is in our gov- 

 ernment fulfilling its obligations to the people on a 

 "Business Basis." Thus the reasonable solution to 

 the food prices would be solved and a scientific dis- 

 tribution of our material resources along lines in- 

 telligently brought about by coming in contact with 

 the various representatives whose duty it would be 

 to advise with the Central Food Bureau, produced 

 out of a natural distribution of natural resources 

 along lines intelligently brought about by coming 

 in contact with these various representatives whose 

 duty it would be to advise with the Central Bureau. 

 121 East Forty-Third street, Chicago. 



