S E P T E M B K K , 19 7 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



67 



this on a level place by means of a board 

 with a large enough block under one end to 

 give the right pitch; put the triangle on this 

 and when the plumb-line comes to a rest, 

 mark the place on the cross piece. Reverse 

 the ends of the triangle to get a similar mark 

 on the other side of the centre or level mark. 

 This makes a level by which a fairly ac- 

 curate grade can be made. 



The ideal ditch for drain tile should be dug 

 as narrow as possible, for which purpose a 

 special ditching spade is used, especially for 

 the bottom of the ditch, so that as little earth 

 as possible is handled. Lay the tile in the 

 bottom, with the uncemented joints sur- 

 rounded by gravel or crushed stone, so as to 

 keep the joints quite open. If both of these 

 materials can be had, lay the stones around 

 |:he pipe first, then a layer of gravel and 

 above that fill in with the soil. It is well, 

 also, to keep a complete map of the location 

 of all drains that are put in, in order that 

 extensions may be carried out easily if they 

 become necessary; or if it is thought that 

 the drainage is insufficient, extra ditches can 

 be put in and joined to the existing system 

 with the least possible trouble. 



The most marked advantages from the 

 use of tile drain will of course be found in the 

 wettest soils, but even in other soils they are 

 worth while because they prevent surface 

 washing; and consequently erosion and leech- 



ing of fertilizers are very much lessened. 

 With this is a gain on the average of three 

 weeks in the springtime, being equal to 

 immense cultural operations. Many a piece 

 of land that is normally unproductive can 

 be made profitable by the expenditure of a 

 few dollars an acre. 



Digging a ditch and laying the tile at 

 about three feet deep will cost perhaps a 

 dollar and a half to two dollars per hundred 

 feet, and it will cost twenty-five cents per 

 hundred feet to refill the ditch by hand. 

 Three-inch tile, which is the most generally 

 used for the lateral drains, can usually be 

 had at about ten to twelve dollars for a 

 thousand feet, so the cost per acre may be 

 about thirty dollars. 



For calculating the cost of labor for excava- 

 ting the ditch, the following figures may be 

 used: A ditch three feet deep and twelve 

 inches mean width necessitates the moving 

 of 1.83 cubic yards of earth for every rod 

 dug; and one expert man should be able to 

 dig about eighty feet of ditch of this depth, 

 in average soil, per day. Sometimes it will 

 be practicable to open the top part of the 

 ditch by means of deep plowing. For 

 draining an acre of land with drains ioo feet 

 apart, 436 feet of tile will be required. Lay- 

 ing the tile is best done in the small sizes by 

 the workman standing outside the ditch and 

 using a tile hook. This is shaped like an 



walking backwards as the work 



L piece with a long handle; the shorter end 

 is thrust into the tile which is thereby lifted 

 up and carefully laid in the bottom of the 

 ditch. For larger-sized tiles, it is necessary 

 for the workman to get into the ditch, laying 

 each section by hand. In actual practice, 

 hand laying is often adopted in the small 

 sized tile 

 proceeds. 



It is by no means so easy to dig a uniform 

 depth in a level place as may appear at first 

 sight. Ditching in some parts of the country 

 has become quite a specialized art. Special 

 machines have been made for ditch-digging, 

 and are useful in agricultural communities 

 where the work is to be extended over a con- 

 siderable area, so as to take in not only the 

 home grounds and farm but the roads as 

 well, and it may be desirable to use glazed 

 tile for the ultimate mains outside the 

 ground that is actually being put into 

 cultivation. 



Serviceable drains may be made from 

 stones. Flat stones are preferred. Two 

 rows are laid on edge a foot or so apart and 

 the space between them is covered by other 

 stones. A layer of large stones a foot deep 

 in the bottom of a ditch makes a good drain. 

 Put the larger stones in the bottom and the 

 smaller on top to cover the interstices. Give 

 a thin layer of salt hay before filling with 

 earth. 



Sod ground (hat is to be cultivated next spring should be plowed sometime before November. Turn the sod but do not plow deep 



