WATER AND ITS CONTROL 10. 



laterals, consisting of 4-inch tiles. But the trouble 

 with that comes at the joints. It requires a great 

 deal of close figuring to get the right levels for all 

 these laterals and the main line. Practically the 

 levels over the whole field have to be worked out, 

 or there will be trouble. To get a good job with 

 that system requires the skill of a drainage 

 engineer. With my system each line is by itself, and 

 its levels are the only ones that have to be con- 

 sidered. I can do that figuring myself. One of 

 my lines was 400 feet long, and had but a 5-inch 

 fall, but the levels for it were about perfect." 



CONSERVATION OF MOISTURE 



Eastern and southern farmers have much to gain 

 by close study of the methods employed in the 

 West to conserve moisture in the soil, because 

 water saving is their problem, also. When an 

 abundant, well-distributed supply of rain prevails, 

 good crops follow. This order of things is not the 

 general rule, however, as every crop grower well 

 knows. To meet the situation so a good supply 

 of soil water may be had, even in dry seasons, is 

 possible if diligent attention be given to the land. 



Some of our best farmers like dry seasons, even 

 prefer them to wet seasons ; enough water is stored 

 away for maximum yields, weeds are not so apt to 

 bother, and the work of planting and cultivating is 

 made easy and inexpensive. The water storage 

 work must be done during months long before 

 water is demanded by growing crops. Fall plow- 

 ing does much, winter disking carries the work 

 forward, and a big humus supply completes the job. 



If land is in tough sod one cannot expect much 

 water to find its way down; if rolling land is 

 tucked in by a hard, smooth surface layer, water 



