Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-09

grubbing hoe, cutting downward the
width and length of the hoe, and throw
ing out the dirt as you go. Then the
ditch is made. 1t Ia two feet wide at the
top, and narrowing to the bottom, and it
is about four feet deep. The lowesteight
inches at the bottom is simply Q groove
cut by the grubbing hoe, about three and
8 half inches wide.
Now what shall we put at the bottom
to drain off the wster2 Drain tile will
be the best; and the tubes will be the
best tiles. They are made at Albany,
New York, by machinery. Those Is
inches long and one inch in the bore sell
at about 81 per thousand. The tubes
are tapered, SO that the small end of one
viii slip one inch into the larger end of
another. To place the tiles in the ditch,
you begin at the lower end with long
pair of tongs you grapple and place one
tube in the bottom of the ditch, with its
larger end up hill; then grasp another
tube and push its small end into the large
end of the first, and thus continue to the
upper end of the ditch. The upper and
last tube laid must be stopped at its large
end to keep out the dirt. Pieces of brick
bats crammed in it will answer Then
haul in the dirt and fill up the ditch.
This under drain is-found by long expert
ence to be the best that can be made; but
if you cannot get tile tubes, then several
substitutes may be employed; and sup
pose the cheapest and best substitute,
where ditch has been made (as here de-
scribed) will be wood. Select durable
timber-as cedar, white oak, or black
locust. Split cut straight timbers, or cut
straight poles ten inches in diameter, and
place them snugly in the part of the
ditch cut by the spade, and just over that
part cat by the hoe. Pack the stiffest of
the dirt thrown out on each side of the
pole, to stop all vents where dirt could go
down. If needful, put in straw to stop
vents. Then fill up the ditch, by hauling
all the loose dirt into it. This wooden
under drain will last from Is TO % years.
The drain made of tube will last CEN
fury. No farmer need fear that the
water cannot get into the tubes placed as
described. The weight of the water in
the soil above, will press the water in
through the joints, with force equal to
that of a column of water four feet high.
And the deeper the ditch, the more water
will run into the tubes in given time.
After hard rain, the stream through the
tubes will be the full size of their inner
diameter. ..
In sloping land, the uuderdrains will
not clog or choke for manyyears. When
they do clog, it will be caused by the fine
roots of plants or trees forming punches
in the vent. And you can tell exactly
where the clog is, by water boiling up
just above the clog. At that spot, dig
down and unstop the vent by taking out
the bunch of roots.
How much land will ditch here de-
scribed drain2 The observations made
where under draining is common, prove
that drain four feet deep, will thor
oughly drain to the depth of the ditch,
belt of land about 80 feet wide; that is
space the whole length of the drain, and
80 feet on each side of it.
The natural process by which the
draining is accomplished is thus ex-
planned: During the first dry summer
after the ditch is made the clay gets dry
and cracks from the bottom up to the
surface. The cracks are numerous and
extend at right angles, that is, directly
outward from the ditch to the distance of
ten or more feet. These cracks are ex-
tended still further during the second and
third summer. The more clay there is
in the the subsoil, the larger will be the
cracks; because clay ssrinks more in dry
ing than any other earthly material. When
rain falls on the surface above these
cracks, it sinks rapidly, and runs along
the cracks to the underdrain. The cracks
when made, remain open, as long as the
underdrain keeps open.
have just been informed that there is
now in Nashville an establishment
which is making drain tiles for sale. This
is fortunate for all who may undeldraln
with tiles. F. II. GORDON.
JENNINGS FORK, TENN.