46 GARDENING FOE THE SOUTH. 



and friable acting- as drainage, but imperfectly. Its great 

 utility is in increasing the quantity of soil to which the 

 roots of plants find access. 



Drainage. — Lands which produce poor crops in spite 

 of their fertility may be greatly improved by drainage, 

 particularly if the soil contains a surplus amount of 

 water The surface water must How off freely and rapidly 

 after sinking below the surface. Whenever it stands on 

 the surface any considerable length of time after a rain 

 it is evidence of the saturated condition of the soil, and 

 therefore great need of thorough drainage. 



The benefits of draining lands are summed up as fol- 

 lows: Deepening the soil, pulverization is accelerated, 

 surface washing is reduced to a minimum, the soil works 

 lighter, air is readily supplied to the roots of the plants, 

 the evil effects of droughts are greatly reduced, because 

 the open, porous condition of the soil permits of the 

 absorption of air, and, when the air particles come in 

 contact with the cool earth, moisture is precipitated from 

 the atmosphere. 



The usual shape of tiles is shown in Figure 4. It is an 



earthenware tube vary- 

 ing in diameter from three 

 inches upwards. A collar 

 fits over the joints and 

 serves the double purpose 

 of holding the sections together and at the same time 

 preventing the entrance of sand at the joints. In clay 

 soils no collar is required. 



The size of the pipe needed to drain the land must be 

 determined by the amount of water to be conducted off, 

 and the character of the adjacent lots from which the 

 water may be drawn when the system begins operation; 

 and it must meet the emergency of heavy flows of water. 

 The pipes must be sunk deep enough to place them out 



Fig. 4— Drain Tile. 



