the graduations are numbered from above down¬ 
ward) on the “peg” by the side of the ditch 
whioh was set when the ditch was surveyed. 
(The bight of this peg above the bottom is known 
and recorded on a stake by the side of it.) From 
the upper end of thiB staff take a distance equal 
to the depth of the ditch below the top of the 
peg, and it will give the proper position of the 
line. This you notice is the Bame as subtracting 
the depth of the ditch from seven feet. 
After setting the line, you are then prepared 
to finish digging 
the ditch, the 
-r-- depth of which 
you can test from 
FlG * “ time to time by 
means of the line above it. The final cleaning 
of the ditch can best be done with a semi-cylin¬ 
drical scoop, Bomewhat larger than the tile, 
mounted on a handle. This scoop leaves a round 
groove in the bottom very convenient to lay the 
tile in. There are several kinds of Bcoops in use 
by ditchers. The ___ 
two in most com- 
mon use are the 
“push scoop,” 
shown in Fig. 7, 
and the “ pull Fl0, 8 - 
scoop," shown in Fig. 8. An improved form 
which combines the properties of both these 
Bcoops, was devised by Dr. MileB, and has been 
in use on the College farm a number of years. 
It is shown in Fig. 9, and was named by him 
the “College scoop.” The position of the 
shank in the middle of the blade gives a balance 
to this scoop, that not only makes it easier to 
manage bnt makes it stronger. The blade of 
this scoop need not exoeed twelve inches in 
length when used in connection with the line 
already described. 
The bottom made by the sooop should be 
tested by meas- 
- - - urlng from the 
line, and if cor¬ 
rect for three or 
four feet (the 
distanoe you can reach with a sooop) you are 
then prepared to commence laying your tile, the 
first tile should be carefully laid; then, in the 
groove left by the scoop, lay the second tile, 
turning it around until a good joint is Becured, 
then if no collar, cut a piece of closely Bbaven 
turf about six inches long and four wide, and 
lay, grass Bide down, over the joint, tucking it 
fairly around with tho fingers. If a collar is 
provided, no turf will be needed; the collar 
should be put for half its length over the first 
tile, and the second tile slipped Into that. In 
heavy land no joint-covering is usually needed, 
the drains working perfectly well without it. 
After the first two tiles are laid, they oan be 
covered with about six inohes of dirt, and you 
ONE OF OUR BEST GRASSES. 
An Experiment cn a Disputed Point 
OTHER METHODS OF LEVELING. 
The carpenter’s spirit-level may be used by 
setting it on the horizontal arm of a boning rod 
which is in the exact line of a ditch. It is used 
in the manner already described, and for short 
distances gives quite accurate results. The 
square with a small 75-oent level attached to its 
horizontal arm, which is stuck through the slit 
in an upright stake on the exact, line of the 
ditch, is nearly as good. With a plumb-bob and 
string hung over the vertical arm of a square 
suspended as before, approximate leveling can 
be done. Leveling that depeuds for accuracy 
on a plumb-bob will be liable to considerable 
variation, for the bob swings with all the ease of 
a pendulum, and the exact point where it is ver¬ 
tical cannot with accuracy be determined. It 
the plumb-bob is immersed in water it is some¬ 
what more quiet, but even then it is liable to be 
moved by a breath of air. 
A straight-edge, mounted on a table of some 
kind, can be approximately leveled by pouring 
on it some water and noticing which way it runs. 
If it rnnB equally in all directions it is about 
level. I say about, for it is & rough instrument, 
and you need not expect to do accurate work 
with it. There are a great many other devices 
for securing a horizontal line of sight, bnt all of 
them depend on the principles already enunci¬ 
ated, and we will not further consider them. 
CONSTRUCTION OF A DRAIN. 
Most of the points necessary for the success¬ 
ful working of a drain have already been noticed, 
and it remains only to briefly call attention to 
the construction of the drain itself. The first 
thing is the digging; this is done after laying 
out the center line of the ditch, by throwing out 
a trench from 18 to 30 inches wide. This trench 
is gradually narrowed as the bottom of the ditch 
is reached, until at that point it is bnt one spad¬ 
ing wide. The best implement for most ditch¬ 
ers with which to do this work, is the ordina ry 
Bpade; Borne spades made tapering especially for 
this work, are of little or no value, as it is very 
difficult to do clean work with them. Great care 
should be taken not to dig beneath the proposed 
bottom of the ditch at any point, as that will 
cause uneven settling of the bottom. To pre¬ 
vent this it is best to throw out at first no dirt 
nearer than six inches to the bottom, leaving 
the remainder in until nearly ready to lay the 
tiles. 
The next step is to set a line above and paral¬ 
lel to the desired bottom of the ditch; this is 
done in a very simple manner by supporting the 
Quite often we hear the question discussed, 
“ Which is tho beBt breed of horses, cattle, 
sheep, or swine.” Before answering this, the 
best informed men ask the pertinent question, 
“ What do you want them for ?” 
A similar rule applies to grasses in cultivation. 
Some are beBt for one soil or purpose and some 
for another. On the richest pasture lands of 
Kentucky, they boast of Blue-grass as the best 
the world affords. The rapid growth, good 
quality, and bountiful yield of this grass have 
rendered certain counties of Kentucky famous 
throughout the Northern States, and even in 
Great Britain. 
The writer has heard of some instances of 
farmers in the Northern States who have sent 
to the South to procure seed of this famous 
grass. They have been disappointed. For 
many years the botanists have been telling the 
farmers that the plant which is known as “ Blue- 
grass” in Kentucky is generally known at the 
North as “ June-grass, Green-grass, or Spear- 
grass." The writer has, through the press and 
public lectures, probably answered this question 
ten times or more a year for the last ten years, 
and during the last few years oftener than ever 
before. Are they the same ? There is nothing 
like giving the matter a practical test. 
Two years ago, I sent to a reliable friend in 
Louisville and had him prooure a small sample of 
what is there known as “ Blue-grass.” He pro¬ 
cured two samples of two different seedsmen 
who knew where the seed was raised. I planted 
these in two small beds among my grass-plots. 
Between them I planted seeds of June-graas, 
whioh I selected myself from the hay which had 
been cut on the farm of this place. They were 
sown at the same time, on soils to all appearances 
alike. The three plots came up alike, grew 
alike, and blossomed together. A careful ex¬ 
amination showed as great a variation in size 
and color of the stalks in one plat as in the 
other. Every one who saw them, farmer, stu¬ 
dent, and botanist, pronounced them identical. 
This grass is Foa pratousis. A great many 
farmers and writers confound this grass with 
another called Poa oompressa. The latter has a 
454 
THE 
elevation of the peg and the elevation of the 
bottom. The depth is marked on the stake by 
the peg. 
We give a portion of the field notes of a drain 
in field No. 2, to show the method in which they 
are kept: 
this point, but there are many who want to 
know the truth about the matter. 
In Michigan, June-grass flowers only once a 
year, about tho first days of June. The stalks 
are usually fine and short and make hut a little 
hay to the acre, though this, if out in season 
and well cured, is very sweet and nutritious for 
horses aud oattle. This grass usually runs out 
clover and timothy in about two years. It is 
a great pest in cornfields, especially if the land 
is low. rich and not well drained. The grass is 
verp hardy, starts early in spring aud glows all 
summer till cold weather. It is too often judged 
by its single growth of short stems, while its 
chief value consists in the continued growth of 
its leave 0 . For permanent pastures, even on 
low or mucky or bottom land, I know of no bet¬ 
ter grass. When it once gets started it spreads 
with great rapidity, much like Quack-grans. It 
is well supplied with underground stems, which 
are erroneously called roots. 
This is our most valuable grass for lawns, at 
least in nearly all places. If cut often and sown 
on rich ground, it makes a soft, thick, green 
turf which is a delight to tho eye and to the 
feet whioh tread upon it. Poa pratensis is one 
of the most common, and ranks among the best 
grasses of the United States. 
Agricultural College, Lansing. Mich. 
®I]f |jtrfemait. 
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URAL NEW-YORKER. 
or 24 cents per rod; four-inoh tile, $26 per M., 
or 44 cents per rod; six-inch tile, $50 per M., or 
84 cents per rod. 
The Jackson Fire Clay Company of Jackson, 
Michigan, make an excellent vitrified tile of fire¬ 
clay, of unusual strength and excellence. These 
tiles being vitrified do not absorb water, and 
consequently are less liable to be affected by 
frost. Their prices for carload lots, delivered 
on the earn at Jackson, are as follows : 
2-in eh tilo per 1,000 feet. $11 00 
8-lneh tlin per i 000 feet. 17 no 
4-Inch tile per 1,000 feet. 2ti 00 
t-ioeh tile per l.ooo feet...... a; 00 
0-inch tile per 1.000 feet. 40 00 
6-incU tile per l.UUO feet (each tile two ft. lonp). 60 00 
It is commonly estimated that two-inch tile 
can be mado with good living profit for $10 to 
$11 per thousand, and the rates should not in 
any porlion of the State differ materially from 
those given above. The cost of digging is esti¬ 
mated by Waring to average for drains four feet 
deep, 29 cents per rod, and for laying and filling 
7 cents, when labor can be had for 31 per day. 
The cost of preparing drains three feet deep is 
about, two-thirds of the cost of those four feet 
deep. The cost oan be considerably reduced by 
the use of the plow and the scraper; some say 
the cost can he reduced one-half, and I should 
always advise their use both for filling and dig¬ 
ging. The cost per acre depends upon the dis¬ 
tance apart; four-foot drains do good work four 
rods apart; this would require forty rods per 
acre: if three-inch tile be used, the total cost 
would be about 50 cents per rod, or $20 per 
acre. If but eight or ten rods be constructed 
per acre, as is usually the case, the cost would 
be reduced to $5.00.- [To bo continued. 
i i j :SSSSSgS8S?gS S 
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gg :SES5Sg{s8gS3i®8gg §5 
12 i c ®OOOOfc'-^IC©©ic<iC'ir < * *— »-I rH 
are adjusted, a small and strong line is passed 
over them and wonnd once around one of the 
short arms of each set of shears to pre¬ 
vent slipping. The line is then fast¬ 
ened by connecting it with a peg driven 
into the ground somewhat farther from 
the shears than tho bight of the line 
above the ground. To prevent the line 
from Bagging, boning rods, as shown 
iD Fig. 5, are used. These are made of 
a round rod of hard wood about seven 
feet long, and inch in diameter, FlG - 5 * 
to which is fastened a horizontal arm about two 
feet loDg, whioh is 2 by 2% inches next the rod 
and made tapering for the sake of lightness. 
This is held in position by a wedge, as shown in 
Fig- 5. 
Fig. 6 shows the line, shears and boning rod 
in position. The line in out practice is set just 
7 feet above and parallel to the desired line of 
the ditch. Each set of ditches at the College is 
provided with a staff just seven feet long and 
graduated into feet and tenths. To set. the line, 
Fig. 6, 
t.bfi Ifl lvtfirtfW oirl.ri nn /fViuf io qa 
line at each end by two sticks fastened together 
with a bolt, and called shears, which can be 
raised or lowered by shoving the legs in or out. 
The shears are shown in Fig 4, and are made 
of two strips of light wood about 7 feet long and 
2% to 3 inches wide, held together by a small car¬ 
riage-bolt about six inches from the upper ends. 
A Two of these shears are placed 
astride of the ditch at a distance 
of 4 to 6 rods from each other. 
They are then adjusted to the 
proper bight by spreading or con¬ 
tracting the legs, at the same 
time keeping their point of inter- 
Fig. 4. section over the oenter of the 
ditch. At the Bame time, or before the shear* 
oan stand upon them to lay the third without 
danger of displacement. In this way proceed 
until all the tiles are laid, measuring the distance 
of eaoh tile from the string, to be sure that the 
correct grade is preserved. 
It is not safe except in stiff land, where the 
ditoh will remain clean, to lay the tile from the 
bank of the ditch / with an instrument made on 
purpose. Better work is usually done by getting 
in the ditch and laying them in the method 
described. 
COST OF UNDERDRAINING. 
The oost of underdraining depends upon so 
many considerations that it cannot be very ac¬ 
curately stated. It depends on the price of tile, 
character of the soil, grade of the drain, and 
various other circumstances whioh may arise. 
The oost of the tile at the brick-kiln at Lansing, 
Mioh., is as follows: Two-inch tile, $11 per M., 
or 18 cents per rod; three-inoh tile, $16 per M-, 
flattened stem, flowers a month later, has a 
smaller head and shorter leaves. It does not 
rnn and spread all over, as is the case with 
June-grass. The stems of Poa oompressa re¬ 
main green for a long time after the plant goes 
to seed. The stalks are a dark bluish green, 
well meriting the name “Blue-grass,” by which 
it is usually known at the North. The latter 
gums the scythe badly when it is mowed. It 
usually looks rather thin, but yields a great 
weight according to its bulk. I do not include 
this Poa oompressa among the grasses recom¬ 
mended for pasture or meadow, unless it thrives 
unusually well. 
Some of our raisers of stock have visited 
Kentucky and have read the papers. They are 
beginning to talk of “ Blue-grasB” in the man¬ 
ner of Southern people. Others call it “Ken¬ 
tucky Blue-grass.” This makes the confusion 
still greater. I wish our Southern friends, 
many years ago I presume, had never applied 
the term “ Blue-grass” to Poa pratensis. The 
grass is certainly not as blue as Poa oompressa. 
Some may think it useless to write so much on 
ANIMAL FOOD AND ANIMAL PRODUCE. 
L. a. R,, writing to the Rural, says : 
“ There was once a man thin and spare, of 
whom his neighbors said he eat so ranch it made 
him poor to carry it around.—I was reminded of 
this when reading in the leader of this week’s 
Rural that it is those animals which have the 
capacity to eat, digest and transform the great¬ 
est quantity of food which are the most profit¬ 
able. Now, I should make objection to this i ule of 
selection unless you can make it appear that 
“ transform" is a saving word. Certain breeds of 
cows are known to be gross feeders, while others 
will thrive on much less percentage; so with 
horses—and we do not find in cows the greatest 
eaters to give the most or richest milk, or in 
horses that those whioh consume the most food 
are, as a class, better workers or drivers—at 
least so far as my observation goes—can that 
position be sustained ?” 
Ans. —If our friend owned a mill and manu¬ 
factured flour, for which he received a certain 
advance on the coBt of the wheat need, he would 
have no trouble in understanding that a certain 
number of bushels must be ground each day to 
pay the miller and to cover the interest on tho 
investment; and that if he made a prefit, his 
mill must have a capacity beyond this number 
of bushels ; and finally, that his profit must be 
in proportion to this extra capacity. 
The same principle holds good when we come 
to manufacture butter or cheese or wool, beef or 
mutton or pork—the animal must be supported 
and the iuterest on its cost covered before we 
get any profit; consequently, the animal which 
has the capacity to manufacture the most raw 
material into finished products, must, of neces¬ 
sity, be the most profitable. The case is gene¬ 
rally more complicated than this, however—it 
may be, that if we attempt to screen more wheat, 
a certain proportion will be lost with the screen¬ 
ings, a certain proportion may be spoiled by 
grinding too rapidly, or a part of the flour may 
be carried into the bran by overtasking our 
bolter. And so with animals—if they are fed 
more than they will eat, a part will find its way 
into tho litter and be lost—screenings; if they eat 
more than fchoy can digest, another part will fail 
to be made into proper material for assimilation 
and pass off with the excrements—too rapid 
grinding—or if they assimilate more than the 
cells whioh secrete the milk, fat or wool can use, 
this extra amount will be lost as a waste pro¬ 
duct—overcharged bolter. It may be said that 
we need not feed our animals beyond their capa¬ 
city and then this loss wilt not occur ; very well, 
we may also say it of the manufacturer of flour, 
but unless he grinds a certain number of bushels 
per day he cannot expect a profit. The miller, 
however, will be quick to see what was wanting 
and replace his insufficient machinery with that 
of greater capacity—why not the farmer as 
well? 
It would seem that our friend has lost sight of 
the fact that every animal's product is tho result 
of the transformation of the food, and if no 
waste occurred a certain amount of food should 
invariably produoe a certain return, whether 
thiB consists of muscular power, fat, milk or 
wool; but wastes do occur in the different ways 
we have mentioned, and in still others whioh we 
have not Bpaee to consider, and the most profit¬ 
able animal, like the most profitable machine of 
any kind, is the one that can nse the most raw 
material with the smallest proportion of waste. 
It may be that the farmer oanuot disoover just 
how the waste occurs, but he certainly can as¬ 
certain, by the method pointed out in our edi¬ 
torial of July 6tb, whioh animal uses its food in 
the most economical manner. 
Now, these are general principles applicable to 
manufactures of all kinds—they are inoontro- 
OCf-«CCM<»«?ot-COOJOH 
