The Jasper weekly courier., 1876-11-10


porous by the repeated passage OF water
from the surface 10 tle level o! the
drains, and the ability % admit air. that
piowing gives il, j. aintaised for 81
much longer time - . were usually satu-
rated with water, which has no other
means OF escape than evaporation al the
surface Drains only remove the sur
plus water, leaving. IN the more porous
-oil, enough for al the necessities of
vegetable life. This, also. q dr2ws upl
moisture from The water-teblc .eiow. Ms
any one can prove jy setting N ordi-
nsry fower-po,. filed si.h perfectly
= ~ earth into Vcsssl contlimnz water;
II Will soon be Wett, eycl o. the top.
I bus plants, even IA drl season, are
not likely 10 suIiar ol well drained land
and the owner IS. tacgeiore, not at The
mercy 0f tie elements, but 10 all IN, ,rnts
Gud purposes, master c. the s.tust IN.
= mother advantage resulting from un-
derdrlining il. shat the farmer can plow
both earlier and later IN the season ana
tlis ~ Itself is sometimes equivalent to
a good crop. ~ heavy rain in the sum
mer only stops the plow a Few hours.
and the field is often finished before the
comm cuced.
Hy lTs, experiment in draining was
made IN heavy clay field. having a
gentle end nearly uniform inclination
from south 70 north. where tho surface
water found an outlet in creek that
formed the northern boundary OF the
field. l first laid the main drain TO re-
ceiyc the laterals. east and west about
forty fee; from the north side OF the
field. and dischar- ing into the creek !;
the aterais are fOriy feet apart. lying up
and down the Hill. and receiving In
some places the water from small under
ground springs. These lateralS are Of
one and ouc-hAlf inch tile. costing al the
factory here $3.50 per thousand. The
uain drain j. oi four and half inch
tile. costing 5000 per thousand. The
creek iutO which they discharge j. usu-
aily nearly dry in the summer season.
but rises rapidly with every heavy rain
and j. generally quiet stream through
l.tr inter. Ny outlet, in con -cqueuce.
b. onen foot under water. sometimes
much more. but the sircsm from the
Graiu can be traced clear aud pure. for
t.VO or three feet in the muddy waters
OF the creek. showing HAT the discharge
.is perfect. | put down my own tile
" iih the help of man hired by the
month, doing also in The time other or
dinary farm work. c0nsequo ! an
unable 20 give the precise cost. bat allow
ing the established rates FOR my own
labor. consider 5000 per acre AZ COW
lering all expenses. wh'ic i'm NY cpin,on
1.-The value Of the lsnd is more than
doubled. This cost would. 90! coul 80.
vary with the size OF the tiles used. aud
the character OF the soil. which would de-
lteTmiDe the labor o. digging.
The summer OF lS7l was 30 evrrei.
liugly dry that Wa often told shat |
would get nothing from ihst field. but
on the contrary. il produced al ;he lly
good corn had. while that adjoining.
on the same kind o. soil and with pre-
lcisely the same treatment, except the
draining. rolled up aud then burned up
not icaf on the drained laui curl'd
until the corn was nearly ready go cut.
But az the harveStiug, the contrast was
sti.l more striking. tnat on tre dmuei
lsud averaged ninety bushels, shc.icd
corn. per acre, whle uu the uudaiIcd
il was not over thirjy-tvc. This year IL
is in corn again, with pr"cisD the same
ro suits. LAST fall p.oV,' 'He undraiu-
ed part mp into ridges aud .cl = tc the
action OF the e. 0st, then plOwe1 it - in
in the spring, but IL mas nc' -rCiu ed
lone-half ss mach corn az the oiAP~. Mr..
iJohnston. SAYS. " lie draining Vsr, TO-
itself IN Two seasons, some.mes sne.
lIEis is certainly 'r1' iu my Us
Iegccis upon Cibcr c~' j. also We.
marked. In wheat winter k..ig- is
ialUost done away With, "a il is only on
wet, heavy soils that heavine taxes place,
ana as vegetation o. all Kinds starts
earlier oh the warm. dry soil OF the
drained isnd, wheat Is usually ripened
in time 20 escape the rust. Mr.. John
Istcs, the pioneer of draining in this
country. also considers it preventati We
OF the ravages OF the fy.
/ Oats, in this part Of Indiana, can never
! be raised successfully except in those
favorable seasons, when the land can be
iplo we'd very early, and those are ,are
the farmer but occasionally gets crop.
Ny drained land is dry enough TO plow,
some part, at least. OF every month
during the spring, and though l have
not, rs yet, sown oats upon II, il could
have been done in good order even a,
early as February.
i A neighbor who has been experiment.
ing on the effects OF undertaking on
different crops, planted a small plat oi
potatoes upon a drained field, from
which lac dug forty-fve bushels. In m
,undrained field Of the same kind Of soil
he measured of six times the amount ot