The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-08-11

The Drainage q Level Ls' ~ Lands. y
=, The subject of, drainage = il ono Of
growing Importance in this country, as
the arabic lands have in, q great mea-
sure been brought under cultivation.
These arabic lands, over vast sections
OF the country, are susceptible of i'm,
provement by uhderdrainage.9 So good
. beginning has already been made i'm
this work thst the demand for tiles ex-
ceeds the supply. and new, tile factories
are springing up on every hand. This,
trenches by hand with high priced
labor, indicates the great benefit that is
found to accrue, therefrom. Thus far,
nearly all the tile that has been, laid
has been where natural depressions
made either an open ditch or, tiles nec-
essary, and these win form the mains
for the more complete system to follow
in the future. When machines for
opening the trenches shalEGhave been
perfected, as no doubt they will be in q
few years. and when the processes for
manufacturing tiles shall have been
cheapened, we may expect ~to@eee
progress in the 8oRkS ieyhs besSre
'f TSsss . s tracts level, or nearly
50, that can only be drained by cutting
a large ditch. or canal for several miles.
or dredging out stream SO as to give
sufficient fall fog the water to run of.
lKssqeh caees he law allows in this
Stats, drainage district TO be formed
comprising the lands to be thus drain
ed. The owners thereof may form q
company, obtain charter from the
State, and tax the property benefited
for the expenses of the work. Thus
some OF the best iaudS iii the 6tate. are
being made susceptible Of cultivation.
From such tracts the water will neces-
sarily move of slowly, and numerous
branches are required when the system
Is extended to every farm and field. "A
great lack of system and foresight is
observable upon the average farm,
wherever attempts have been made
either to drain level fields or control
the courses of small streams and
branches. As usual no regard ia paid
t0-hayingthes stream run straight The
natural winding ctopked channel lis
ideepened and widened, leaving the ad-
jacent fields more or less ill-shaped, as
If the work were intended, as it too
often is, to serve purpose for a single
year. Year after yeaf. this crooked
stream is cleaned out, or is washed
deep and wider; trees and bushes grow
up along its margin, and it becomes q
natural blemish-an eyesore for all
If in providing for the escape of sur
face water from level farms less a'ten-
ton were paid to old water courses,
and new broad and straight bitches
were opened wherever practicable. the
object sought wouldb be gained at less
expense in the long run. and the farm
would be left in a shape more pleasing
to the eye, and more convenient to
cultivate. The first outlay mis hit be
greater, but the future expense of keep
ing in order would be less. as in a
straight channel the distances less and
the fall, greater between two given
points. and the liability to choke, ill
up or cut the banks is less, and less
Troublesome to clean out. The current
will run more swiftly, and smaller
channel will suffice for the same volume
of water. The expense of cutting a
deep ditch is less than many suppose,
and the necessity Of cutting through q
rise OF . foot or two win drive many to
dig twice as far around, and thereby in
jure the appearance and symmetry Of
the farm for all time. Two or. three
teams. with plows and scrapers and ex-
perienced drivers, will accomplish more
in a day than one not accustomed to
the work would imagine. The ditch
should be V-shaped, and at least three
times as .wide at the top as deep. the
plOws commencing always at the mar
gin and turning outward. The scrapers,
starting empty at the center, should be
drawn dia .onally out and dumped rod
ing always one way, and finishing one
side at time as deep as plowed. Thus
the teams become accustomed to tie
work, and it goes on with machine-like
system and regularity. In tenacious
soil two teams may be hitched to the
pillow with advantage. For large
bitches the rOad-grading machine may
be used to advantage.
One object which [ have in view in
writing thisss article;s~is to allow how
farmers who have not the advantage of
q good outlet may greatly improve their
lands at no very great expense. For
them tile: drainage. is out of the ques-
ton. The best they can do is to lay off
their land in squares, or paralellograms
as nearly as. practicable, according to
the lay of the land, and make bitches
broad and deep enough to hold the
surface water. Then, by ALWAYS plow-
ing toward the center of these squares,
or lands, and from the bitches, the lay
Of the land VII s;be- improved by each
successive blowing. It, is. not to be ex-
pected that much could b accomplished
in this way in. one or two years, but let
farm be judiciously laid out according
to this plan, and the work commenced,
improvement will follow slowly but
surely. II no intelligent plan is pur-
sued, the owner may 60. on all his life
blowing around slough and ponds,
losing the use OF considerable. land, be-
sides the loss and vexation in cultivat-
ing wet land.-C0,. Country Gentleman.
Rust on Wheat,