GRADING THE DITCHES FOR TILE. IO9 



in place by clay filling, which should be tamped firmly 

 between the sides of the ditch and the tile. If the clay 

 is so hard that it must be loosened by the pick, the 

 tediousness and expense of the work will be greatly in- 

 creased. 



It will be observed that the tools necessary for this 

 work are few: the line or target for obtaining the 

 grade as given by the survey, a working Hne 100 feet 

 long, ditching spade, round-pointed shovel, tile-hook, 

 and cleaning scoop of the size required for the tile to 

 be laid. The practice of many ditchers is to lay the 

 tile by hand, walking backward in the ditch in front of 

 the tile as they are laid. But it is wholly practicable, 

 when the ditch is properly prepared at the bottom, to 

 lay the tile with a hook from the surface in a perfectly, 

 satisfactory way where the ditches are only 3 or 4 feet 

 deep. 



Difficulties in Constructing Tile Drains. 



The engineer is often consulted regarding difificulties 

 which are encountered in laying tile, and in his work as 

 superintendent he is charged with the duty of helping 

 out che contractor when he meets difficulties. 



Of all difficulties which are encountered in construct- 

 ing tile drains, quicksand or anything that resembles 

 it in behavior is the most formidable to overcome. The 

 ingenuity of the engineer as well as the skill of the 

 workman is often taxed to the utmost in such cases. 

 If great expense is to be avoided, probably the most 

 sensible plan is first to select a dry season of the year 

 in which to dig through soil known to contain quick- 



