ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 63 
Many arc deterred from undertaking the drainage of 
their lands because of the expense ; but every farmer can 
drain a few acres of land each year at a trifling addition to 
his yearly expenses, and the small capital invested immedi¬ 
ately becomes productive—lands which before were nearly 
valueless paying for draining with one or two crops, and 
paying large yearly profits thereafter. 
The time has arrived in this part of the West when 
farmers must produce more from their lands to make farm¬ 
ing profitable. Cheap lands are becoming scarce, and the 
tillable portions of old farms have by long cultivation 
become, in too many cases, so exhausted as to produce 
unprofitable crops, and the necessity is now fairly upon us 
for draining and opening up for successful cultivation these 
rich undrained lands. 
1 
Patten (called upon): He could give no rule in this 
N 
matter, nor lay down any law to follow. Pie didn’t want 
to take up the time of the convention. We had many 
farmers who were using drainage, some one kind and some 
another. He would recommend the tiles. If a man was 
rich he could afford to let his land go without drainage; 
but if he was poor he couldn’t afford to let a foot go un¬ 
drained. He would lay down no rule, either in regard to 
size of tile or the depth needed. You must be governed 
entirely by the land. He had made mistakes in draining, 
but he had found it profitable. Had used too small a tile. 
Had used from two to six inch tile at the depth of from 
two and one-half to nine feet. Your grade should be 
even, and at the mouth of the tile well protected. You 
would find that the cattle got at the mouth of the drain and 
destroyed it. Take a two-inch plank and level it off; the 
cattle will let it alone if level. It didn’t answer to let the 
line sag, for, if you let it get out at the start, a fine sand 
would run through and clog them up. Make the grade two 
inches to each ioo feet; you may need more of a grade if 
you run near a hedge. The fine fibrous roots of the hedge 
