1913. 
PRACTICAL METHODS OF TILE 
DRAINING. 
Part I. 
Benefits. —By proper drainage land 
which is absolutely worthless because of 
water, may be made very valuable, usual¬ 
ly more valuable than the average, since 
low, wet land is generally very rich. 
Fields which are not worthless, but which 
are difficult to work, because of their 
being wet, may be brought into almost 
perfect condition by means of drainage. 
Parts of fields which stay wet, and delay 
work on the drier parts, may be improved 
so that the whole can be worked as soon 
as desired, and swales and ditches which 
separate two small fields can be tiled and 
the two worked as one at a great increase 
in efficiency. By means of drainage the 
land is made warmer and the season 
lengthened. Crops like grain and early 
vegetables, which need early planting to 
be profitable, can be put in just when the 
proper time comes on tiled land, and in 
wet Falls harvesting can go on where, 
without tiles, the field would be soup. 
Often one can find efficient ditchers 
who have done much tiling, and who do 
it at a reasonable price. It is best, if 
possible, to devote oneself to actual farm¬ 
ing. but in many parts of the country 
no such men are to be obtained, and there 
it is necessary for the farmer who desires 
to have his land tiled thoroughly to un¬ 
derstand the principles and operations, 
and frequently he must do the work him¬ 
self, if he wants it done and done right. 
THE KTJT4 NEW-YORKER 
which has to be shoveled out unless dig¬ 
ging a dry ditch. Digging a ditch, while 
it is not easy work, is not unpleasant if 
done in the proper manner, and to me 
there is great satisfaction in doing work : 
which is done for a lifetime instead of for 
one year only. albert de graff 
1346 
fr 
Laying Out the Work. —The work 
must be laid out properly or the job is 
certain to be a failure. There are instru¬ 
ments made for this work, costing from 
.$10 to $40, but for most work an ordinary 
spirit level will serve file purpose. The 
level should be adjusted until absolutely 
correct, and a pair of level sights, costing 
about 50 cents, put on it. It can be used 
with a standard made in the form of a T, 
the upright stake being sharpened and 
driven into the ground. The level can 
then be placed upon this, the standard 
leveled up and the levels taken. A better 
way is to use a photographic tripod, or 
have a simple tripod made. I have one, 
which consists simply of a piece of board 
a foot square, to which are attached three 
legs, six feet long and about an inch 
square, these being of tough wood. They 
are so attached as to allow the bottom to 
move freely away from and toward the 
center. This is set up and the legs moved 
out and in, until the table is exactly 
level. Then the height of the level sights 
is taken on a stick or board, marked off 
in feet or inches, and the levels desired 
are taken, one person holding the stick 
perpendicularly, with a sheet of white 
Paper horizontally across it, and the other 
sighting through the sights till the edge 
of the paper is at the correct level. Then 
the height of the paper on the stick is 
recorded, and the difference between the 
height of the level and that of the sheet 
of paper gives the difference in level; or, 
in other words, the fall. It is best to set 
the level in the lowest place and level 
toward the higher ones. Often it is pos¬ 
sible to follow the water courses in a 
wet time, and by staking them out it is 
unnecessary to use the level. But where 
the fall is very small it is best to find out 
just how the land lies and how much fall 
there is. If a field is mostly wet, and has 
a fairly smooth surface, it is best to 
drain it thoroughly, i.e., with parallel 
drains at regular distances. This is very 
often the case with fields the subsoil of 
which is clay and hardpau. In such 
fields drains every 50 feet, and four to 
f eet deep, will have the desired effect 
L not so deep they must be closer to¬ 
gether. If the field is wet only in spots 
it is sufficient to drain these out. The 
mains and sub-mains should follow the 
water courses, while the laterals should 
go up the lines of greatest slope in gen¬ 
eral, but should remain as nearly paral¬ 
lel as possible. In this one must strike 
the happy medium. I have found it is 
usually easier to hire efficient farm labor 
and do the tiling myself than to do the 
other way around. Unless one insists on 
inefficient ditchers doing the work in a 
proper manner it is almost as much work 
to lay the tiles as it would have been to 
do the entire job in the first place. In¬ 
efficient ditchers dig crooked ditches, 
which are generally below grade in spots, 
necessitating a great deal of regrading, 
and they also leave in a lot of loose dirt, 
A NATIONAL VEGETABLE EXCHANGE. 
Part II. 
Four blackboards would be maintained, 
one for each of the staples, on which 
would appear the names of the different 
shippers, and each morning each shipper 
having offerings would send a telegram 
to the exchange, stating his offerings and 
prices desired, which would be placed 
after his name on the board, giving all 
of the brokers and receivers who had 
seats on the floor an opportunity to buy 
what he wanted without going to the ex¬ 
pense of telegraphing so many shippers 
for prices. Then again, the shipper 
would save this same expense, in only be¬ 
ing obliged to wire his offerings to the 
one place. It would be a ruling of the 
exchange that the shippers should only 
deal through brokers, and dealers listed 
as members of the exchange and vice 
versa. It would be a further ruling that 
shippers and brokers should not sell to 
dealers black-listed by the exchange as 
undesirables to the best interests of the 
trade. Such ruling would also apply to 
short weight shippers and those who make 
it a practice of sending cars of poor pro¬ 
duce to the market. The exchange could 
then put a stop to the practice of turn¬ 
ing down cars on dropping markets, as 
well as satisfactorily adjust the ship¬ 
ments of poor cars. The ruling of the 
exchange would be final. 
Such an exchange, well managed, 
would have the effect, not only of holding 
down crooked dealers, but by working 
with similar exohanges in the principal 
cities could control conditions so that, 
by daily notifying the shippers of exist¬ 
ing conditions, there would be no glutted 
markets, trade. would be steadier, and 
losses less, enabling business to be done 
on a smaller profit than at present, with 
the result that the consumer would be 
benefited, and another step toward re 
ducing the cost of living would be aecom 
pushed. It seems strange, when every¬ 
body is. working for the same end, namely 
that of bettering conditions for all, that 
there will be people who will call such 
a proposition as the above a pipe dream, 
still there will be some who will, and 
others who will oppose it. Such an or¬ 
ganization, however, must and will be 
brought into existence before very long, and 
with proper support it will succeed. It 
has been done before with grain and other 
produce, why not with potatoes and the 
other staples? It will mean work and 
fight, but any deed worth accomplishing 
is. worth working and fighting for. It 
will require the support of some of the 
big dealers and shippers, men of influ¬ 
ence, to make the undertaking a success, 
but us quite a few of the dealers have 
expressed their opinions in favor of such 
an exchange, it may not be a hard propo¬ 
sition to start the ball rolling, especially 
as broker, shipper, receiver and jobber 
will be benefited. 
Such an exchange could also use in¬ 
fluence in bringing about changes in legis¬ 
lation, as well as changes in transporta¬ 
tion, heater-car service, etc-., that would 
be beneficial to shippers as well as deal¬ 
ers. In fact, a thousand and one things 
could be put under control and conducted 
in an honest, business-like way, that are 
now run with no head nor tail. 
Nearly all grain sold in bulk is in¬ 
spected and weighed by Government in¬ 
spectors, and certificates of weights and 
grades of cars sent with each invoice, so 
that the buyer knows what he is getting, 
and -any shipper who tries to be crooked 
has to answer to Uncle Sam. If such 
a thing can be done with grain, why can 
it not be done with potatoes and other 
staples? Automatic scales could be in¬ 
stalled at different points of the railroad 
hauling such produce, and a running 
weight taken when the cars go into the 
country light, and the,weights and ear 
numbers sent to the inspector of that sec¬ 
tion so that ho could tare each car prop¬ 
erly when loaded. 
The trade today is demanding such a 
move as this, and nothing can right con¬ 
ditions but an exchange that will be im¬ 
partial in its rulings. Small organiza¬ 
tions in different sections will never 
answer the purpose. 
Killing Out Blackberriea. 
IIow can I kill wild running black¬ 
berries in the field, the soil is very sandy. 
Will late Fall plowing help kill them?' 
Amityville, L. I. A . 
You are late now to do a first-class 
job. You should have started in late 
August or early September. Then the 
vines have reached their growth and are 
weakened by the long season. If you 
let them alone they will partly recover 
before W inter. The plan is to plow and 
then work several times with a disk or 
spring-tooth harrow. The object is to 
chop off and bring the roots to the sur¬ 
face where they can be left or raked and 
burned. Plowing now will help, but will 
not do a full job. Next year plant corn 
or potatoes in hills and cultivate both 
ways. 
GENUINE THOMAS 
PHOSPHATE POWDER 
(BASIC SLAG MEAL) 
KEY-TREE brand 
GROWS BIG RED APPLES, SOUND, HIGH COLORED 
PEACHES, AND GRAPES THAT DO NOT SHELL OFF 
GENUINE THOMAS PHOSPHATE produces fruit that ships better, looks 
better, tastes better and pays better than fruit raised otherwise. 
It isn t necessary for you to take our unsupported word concerning the 
superiority of Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder, Key-Tree Brand for Fruits. 
The following results speak more eloquently than we can hope to do: 
At the Great NEW ENGLAND FRUIT SHOW held in Boston, November 
12-1G, 1913, Apples raised with Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder (Basic Slatr 
Meal), Key-Tree Brand, won 
51 First Prizes and 25 Second Prizes ; 
Including Three Governors’ Trophies 
First Prize, $150.00 in cash for Best Fifty Boxes over entire Show, The In¬ 
ternational Cup for Best Five Barrels, First Prize for Best Ten Boxes, First 
Prize for Best Five Boxes, Sweepstakes for Best Single Box, etc. (See last 
week s issue of this paper for list of prominent prize winners.) 
Mr. A. T. Repp, for many years President of the New Jersey Horticultural 
Society, writes: "I have used the Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder (Basic 
Slag Meal) for years with excellent results on our apple orchards. With its 
use the fruit increased in size, color, and healthy growth." 
Barnes Bros., the famous nurserymen and fruit growers of Connecticut 
say: “In regard to Thomas Phosphate Powder, .... on our peach or¬ 
chards. where we used it, the trees have made a splendid growth with heavy, dark 
green foliage, the fruit was of excellent color, and keeping qualities remarkable. 
We never saw better colored Baldwin apples than those we grew where we 
applied a good dressing of Thomas Phosphate Powder. The best sold at retail 
for $9.00 per barrel." 
These and many other successful fruit growers, use Genuine Thomas Phos¬ 
phate Powder, Key-Tree Brand, because it pays them in the superior quality 
of their apples and peaches. 
Isn t it worth while for you to improve the quality of your fruit? Wouldn't 
it pay? The way to do it is told in our booklet "FRUIT GROWING WITH 
THOMAS PHOSPHATE POWDER." This is a worth while publication, 
and you ought to read it. If you are a fruit grower, we shall be glad to send 
you a copy free of charge. 
The remarkably good results from the use of Genuine 
Thomas Phosphate Powder (Basic Slag Meal) in fertilizing 
fruits and leguminous crops, no doubt account for the offer¬ 
ing of other so-called Basic Slags said to be “just as good." 
Prospective buyers are warned that these materials are not 
the same as Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder, Key-Tree 
Brand. For your own protection insist on having our Key- 
Tree trademark on every bag that you buy. 
THE COE-MORTIMER COMPANY 
51 Chambers Street, New York City 
For your convenience we also distribute from Baltimore, Md., and 
Philadelphia, Penna., and Boston, Mass. 
,$$ $. 
COUNT THE DOLLARS IN YOUR TREES 
irwJmrmrmimrireTiT 
yfK Go over to the wood lot and size up your trees. Every 
16-foot log averaging 14 inches thick will make ICO feet of 
goodlumber. Ten such logs make 1000 feet of luinberworth 
from SCotoStO (our book telia.) An “American” Saw Mill 
•a. will Baw them at a cost of S4 to 55 per 1000 feet. You have 
the teams, the time and the engine. It will pay to get the 
iJli dollars out of those trees. You can do It for your neigh- 
i •• bors. too —more pro lit for you. All you need is an 
“American” Mill—so simple anyone can run it, so strong 
ft It lasts for years. An 8 H. P. engine will cut up to 2500 
S feet per day. Farm lumbering is explained In dux new 
Jr book Now 26 Sent free. Ask our nearest office, 
AMERICAN SAW MILL MACHINERY CO. 
Makers of Standard Saw Mills of any size or capacity, 
„ I 20 flopo St., Haekettstown, N. J. Chicago — Seattle 
13S8Terminal Building, New York Savannah—New Orleans 
fprkner Orchard 
Cultivator 
i££ 
VlGHT DRAFT HARROW CO., 
Does more work with less draft and leaves a 
better surface mulch than any other cultivator made. 
It Works Right Up To Ycur Trees 
Cultivating the entire surface beneath low branches 
without disturbing boughs or fruit. Write for cata¬ 
logue and free book “Modern Orchard Tillage.” 
612 Nevada Street, Marshalltown, low? 
electric 
Steel Wheels 
Save YOUR Back 
/ 
_ Save draft —save repairs. 
Don t rut roads or fields. Send today for free 
illustrated catalog of wheels and wagons. 
Electric Wheel Co., 48 Elm St., Quincy, III. 
Box 
No. 2 
Gasoline Engines 
1 to20 H.P.STKAMKN GINKS. 
1 5 to 25 H. P. SEPARATORS, 
4 6 sizes, 100 to 1000 bu. per day. 
111 Hand aiui power feed cut- 
tors and corn shelters, 
wood saw a, horse 
powers, steel 
and wood land 
_ rollers, etc. 
Mowers, 1 
Hakes, Tedders. 
MESSINGER MF6, CO., Tatamy % Pj, 
