394 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 14 
ing in while earth is settling around tile. While 
water will surely filter through the walls of a porous 
tile, I do not think it makes so much difference in 
the amount of water carried where horseshoe tiles 
are used as it would in the case of round tile, because 
in the horseshoe we have a quicker way of getting 
water in the drain. We have twice as many joints, 
both edges of the tile where they lie on the boards, 
and an inch of board extending on each side of our 
tile to catch the water in its descent, and as all the 
pressure is on the outside of the tile the water has 
nothing left to do but enter the tile at the many joints 
In laying a tile drain of any kind the 
care that is taken to have a perfect 
grade, no hollows to hold water, and 
sediment to clog the drain, is one of the 
essentials necessary, and on it will de¬ 
pend largely the duration and usefulness 
of the drain. On my farm I would not 
think of using round tile unless they 
were laid on a board to insure against 
settling. In the ditch referred to at the 
beginning of this article there were 
places so hard we had to use a pick, 
while in others less than a hundred 
yards distant it was so soft that a man 
would sink to his ankles before finish¬ 
ing. How is it possible to lay a perfect 
drain on such a bottom without laying 
it on boards? That is something I never 
saw done where round tile was used, 
hence the imperfectness of these as or¬ 
dinarily laid. From a practical stand¬ 
point, I say lay horseshoe tile because 
they do the work if properly laid, and 
do it for a long time if properly attended 
to. From a financial standpoint, use horseshoe tile 
because they cost less to purchase, can be laid faster 
and cheaper. c. c. hursart. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. 
Both Kinds Are Used. 
We have found that with us the majority of far¬ 
mers prefer the horseshoe tile, giving as the reason 
that the ground to be drained consists of hard and 
soft spots, so that a board is required to give support 
to the tile until the ground becomes settled and firm; 
then if the boards rot and the fall is good, the mouth 
of the tile having been kept clear, the drain will 
work still. Also thal as a quick gatherer of the water 
the horseshoe tile has the advantage, draining its 
water between the board and tile as well as through 
the joints. The question of porous tile is in our 
opinion not of much account, as the little water that 
will draw through when the joints are open is of 
very little consequence. We have known tile joined 
so close that water would lie over them some time 
before going through the tile, and when they were 
replaced with the joints opened a little the trouble 
ceased. We also know of a case in which the man 
putting in the tile embedded clay over 
all joints and along the side of the tile 
next to the board. No water came 
through the drain until the tile were 
taken out and replaced without the 
clay; then there was no trouble. If you 
wish to carry water a little faster when 
once in the tile, the round tile will do 
it better than the horseshoe, as it has 
the bottom smooth and the water con¬ 
fined to the lowest part, where the 
horseshoe has the board usually rough, 
creating friction, and also spreading out 
over more space, losing in the weight 
of water. We have an opinion that if 
we used shorter tile and more joints, 
round or horseshoe, we would collect 
the water faster and dry the surface 
sooner than with the length we now 
use.If you are draining for sanitary pur¬ 
poses the glazed tile is best, as it closes 
the pores of the ware, taking a longer 
time for the filth to penetrate than an 
unglazed one, but for field drainage, 
there is no benefit that we can see out¬ 
side of the looks and expense, we use 
both kinds, the round for carrying and 
the horseshoe for collecting, and if we 
had only one kind would use that in any case. 
Mercer Co., N. J. b. ii. reed & bros. 
Horseshoe Tile a Back Number. 
The use of horseshoe tile is about out of date. 
Any ideas of their superiority over round tile which 
may still prevail are based upon the erroneous notion 
that water cannot get into the latter as readily as it 
ought to. Repeated experiences have settled past any 
doubt that water will find its way into the joints of 
one-foot tile, no matter how closely they are laid. 
In fact, it is necessary in practice to take some pre¬ 
cautions not to have the joints too open. One of the 
points of the advantage of round tile is that they 
are not apt to warp so much in the burning, as the 
walls are of uniform thickness throughout. If they 
do come from the factory somewhat out of shape, 
they can be turned around until the joints fit snugly, 
leaving no openings for the washing in of silt. 
Round tile are the only form adapted to the use of 
collars where these are necessary. As a rule these 
are not required, the exceptions being in case of the 
smallest sizes laid in soft or quicksandy places, or 
where the freezing of the ground is liable to heave 
them out of line. Round tile are mostly to be recom¬ 
mended in cases where the fall is small and a'perfect 
water-bed is desirable. The amount of water that 
would have scarcely any current at all in the dirt 
or board bottom of a horseshoe tile drain, would 
cause a small stream in the bottom of a well-laid 
round-tile drain, and sufficient to move small parti¬ 
cles of sediment which otherwise might accumulate 
and reduce the capacity of the drain, if not recder 
it entirely worthless. 
As to the porosity of tile, it is never a necessity, 
and is sometimes a detriment. Unglazed tile are 
generally used on account of cheapness, but they 
should be well burned, so that they have a clear 
ring when handled. An overly soft and porous tile 
is too liable to be attacked by deep freezing in cold 
Winters and crumble. In fact, it is of great impor¬ 
tance to have some vitrified tile in drainage opera¬ 
tions to place where the line may come close to the 
surface, and especially at the last few feet at the 
outlet. I once had occasion to examine a drain that 
had become defective. 1 surmised that the trouble 
was from a broken tile and began digging in a low 
place. The tile came to within 15 or 16 inches of the 
surface. We did not dig a dozen feet before the 
trouble was located, in the shape of a crumbled tile. 
A small amount of water in the soil will readily drain 
off through the joints; a surplus of water will also 
get through the joints first, and if I depended on its 
working through the porous walls of the tile would get 
away too slowly for the good of the crops. 
Hunterdon ,Co., N. J. grant davts. 
The true book farmer is the man who relies on fixed 
rules for running his particular farm, or who expects 
science to handle a spade or hoe. 
VALUE OF A WESTERN APPLE ORCHARD. 
Conditions in the Haw Valley. 
The value of fruit farms depends on so many and 
such different considerations that it is quite impossi¬ 
ble to reduce them to a schedule. The nearness to 
a large market, the character of the soil, the location 
whether hill, bottom, or prairie, the age of the trees, 
the care they have received, the varieties of apples, 
the distance apart the trees are planted, the improve¬ 
ments in packing sheds, etc., all these things enter 
so largely into, or detract so much from the value 
of each individual orchard that one is 
at a loss to know how much the trees 
have added to the value of the land un¬ 
less he inspects each orchard. Here, 
within wagon distance of railroad, 
the cull apples can be made to pay 
the cost of picking and packing the 
crop. Farther away they are almost or 
quite a total loss, as they have no feed¬ 
ing value to speak of, and cannot profit¬ 
ably be worked into vinegar, nor canned 
nor dried. An orchard of early Sum¬ 
mer or Autumn varieties is much more 
valuable near a large market. 
Our Kaw bottom lands are very rich, 
and are very valuable for growing po¬ 
tatoes and other vegetables. Moreover, 
they are not adapted to apple growing. 
The trees grow too rank, the wood is 
soft, and is easily damaged by cold and 
blight. The ruit is not well colored, 
and is of a spongy texture, so that it 
lacks both eating and keeping quality. 
I am inclined to think that an orchard 
in the Kaw bottoms would detract from rather 
than add to the value of the land. On the ad¬ 
jacent hills the land is lower in price, and is 
well adapted to apple growing. The trees are thrifty 
and the fruit is of the best. Apple trees here are 
not so long-lived as in the East. There, orchards 
are still useful at 40 or 50 years old, but here an 
orchard has so far fallen into decay as not to be 
worthy of calling an orchard after 25 years. There¬ 
fore, an orchard here just coming into bearing is 
much more valuable than one that has borne several 
crops. Again, the care an orchard has had has much 
to do with its longevity, as well as its fruitfulness. 
I suppose it is possible in the East to bring a neglected 
orchard back to a profitable state of fruitfulness, but 
here, after an orchard has once fairly started on the 
downhill road, the sooner the funeral obsequies are 
said, the better it will be for the owner. The world 
13 full of varieties of apples that are a positive 
damage to the man who plants them. An orchard 
near here sold recently for what seemed to be a low 
price, but those of us who knew that the varieties 
were mostly McAfee’s Nonsuch and other unprofit¬ 
able sorts know that the price was high enough; yes, 
too high, for the land without the trees 
would have been worth more money. 
What is an acre of apples worth 
as an investment? That depends al¬ 
most entirely on who the investor is. 
Fruit growing is a business which can¬ 
not be successfully carried on by proxy. 
I do not mean that the owner must 
live on the farm and do the work with 
his own hands. There are many suc¬ 
cessful fruit growers who live in the 
city. But they know thoroughly how, 
and exercise supervision over even the 
details of the business. For a man who 
knows nothing about the business to 
invest in orchards in the hope of having 
a capable manager would be folly. Men 
capable of managing a fruit farm are 
not working for wages except at a price 
that is out of the reach of a farmer. 
Taking all these limitations into con¬ 
sideration, it is my opinion that apple 
trees are worth as much as the land 
they stand on. I do not think that this 
measures the potential value of the trees. 
The production capacity of an orchard 
ought to be several times as much as 
the land without the trees. But land has 
a stable quality which trees do not, and this quality of 
stability always greatly affects values. Therefore I 
say that an acre of apples as an investment ought to 
be worth double what the land is worth without the 
trees. w. d. cellar. 
Kansas. _ 
ROSE REPORTS.—The new Philadelphia rambler has 
just been received and taken care of. I have also been 
out looking after my other roses. Some of them have 
suffered from our hard Winter, but the Ruby Queens 
we got from you are all alive to the tips, and doing well. 
A good start is half way. and they all came with good 
roots. We very much appreciate the gifts. j. j. s. 
Concordville, Pa. 
ARRIVAL OF THE RURAL MAIL. Fig. 168. 
PREPARATIONS FOR DINNER. Fig. 169. 
