146 The Sugar-Beet in America 
experience that when twelve or fifteen dollars are spent 
in drainage, the value of the land is increased from twenty- 
five to fifty or more dollars. 
Kinds of drains. 
Any one method of drainage is not suitable for all con- 
ditions, nor is it always practicable to employ the method 
that might seem best. The entire set of conditions must 
be taken into consideration before deciding just how to 
drain a piece of land. Open ditches are probably the 
cheapest method of carrying away the water. They are 
used to advantage in draining ponds and other surface 
accumulations. The chief advantages of the open drain 
are: (1) the cheapness with which it can be constructed, 
and (2). the ease with which it can be cleaned. Some 
disadvantages are that it renders waste the land occupied 
and cuts the land area into small fields that are difficult 
to get at. The open ditches become filled with falling 
earth and weeds, and are a constant source of danger to 
farm animals. 
Some form of covered drain is usually preferable for 
ordinary purposes. With the covered drain, a trench 
is dug and some material that will allow water to pass 
through is placed in the bottom. This is covered later 
with earth. Some of the materials used for such drains 
are rocks, brush, lumber, clay tile, and cement tile. The 
last two are by far the most common. Where clay tile 
can be secured, it is recommended under almost all con- 
ditions, especially for land high in alkali. 
