The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-11-24
Land Drainage in the West.

Land Drainage in the West.
Draining land by the employment OF
tile placed several feet below the sur
face of the ground has made but little
progress in the Western States until
within the past few years. The great
advantages of this method of draining
damp soils were demonstrated in vari-
Gus parts of Europe many years ago.
and the system there pursued was in
troduced into some of the Eastern
States There was a greater necessity
for undertakings in the West than in
the East. for the reasons that the sur
face of the land is more nearly level and
the soils more retentive of moisture. 1t
is also true in respect to many portions
of the West that the rainfall is very I'M
equally distributed during the year.
There is a great excess during the early
Fart of the season and deficiency dur
ing the latter portion. The desirable
ity of thorough, systematic and scien-
fific land drainage was acknowledged,
but several reasons prevented its adop-
ton. Many farmers were in debt for
tISih VI 1Oi IucS
had made on it. Others owed consider
able for farming implements and stock.
Still others were DESTROYS of buying
more land in the vicinity of their farms
while it was still comparatively cheap.
All these persons hesitated about Dor
rowing money to improve their places
by laying drain-tile. A farmer who has
Just got out of debt hesitates to plunge
in again. He realizes such relief from
a great burden that he is reluctant to
assume a new one. Farmers who are
land-hungry are reluctant to pay out as
much money to drain a piece of land rs
it will cost to purchase another piece of
equal extent. Besides. many farmers
have neglected to drain their land for
want of Information On the subject, and
on account of lack of material within
easy reach.
The present is a favorable time for
Western farmers to consider the pro-
priety of draining their low lands.
Most of them have money to invest.
Some desire more land, but they find it
hard to obtain in the vicinity of their
homes. They can do no better than to
render the land they have more produc-
tive by means of drainage. On many
farms there are tracts that produce
nothing but coarse grass that is of lit
tie value for stock. These low tracts
can be rendered the most productive
of any on the farm by the judcious
use of drain-iile. Low land receives
the wash of that which les above it,
and in time becomes very rich in all
the elements of plant food. By the
use of drain-tile the area of plowable
land can he greatly increased on large
of prairie farms. By the
same means the productiveness of much
land that can be plowed in favorable
seasons can be increased. In many
cases the yield of nearly all the cult
waited crops can be doubled by the
adoption of u suitable drainage. If
farmer wishes to IA Sc more than he
now does, and has the choice between
buying more land and draining what he
owns, it is better to select the latter
cour:e. By so doing he will save fenc-
ing and taxes. He will also save much
labor. No mere blowing and cultivat-
ing, and but little more labor in harvest
ing, are required to produce a large
crop than small one. Drainage in
creases the quality as well as the guam
tity of crops. 1t also lengthens out the
season in witch the land can be worked.
1t enables the farmer to pillow earlier in |
the spring and later in the fall 1t also |
enables him to do better work with any
implement he uses in the soil. 1t helps |
insure crops against bad seasons. /
However desirable underdrainage may |
be. it should not be undertaken without
hue consideration. A farmer should |
earn before he commences operations |
how much the improvements are to
cost. He should ascertain where he |
Fan obtain tile, the cost at the manu-
factory. and the cost of transportation.
He should also learn how to dig bitches,
ay the tile. and place the earth about
hem. Ditching is an art that requires
skill. Many farmers have
ost heavily by attempting to under
Train land with the aid of such knowl-
edge as they have derived from a news
paper article or circular sent out by
'ome tile factory. Unless a farmer is
wiling TO spend considerable time in
earning how to do the work properly.
ind to purchase the necessary tools and
he will find it profitable to
Employ the services of surveyor to lay
nut the work, and to engage an expert
,nced ditcher to perform it. Much can
De learned by visiting some po ton of
indiana or Illinois, where much land
las been drained. Excellent works on
arm drainage have been written, which
1--WE in detail nearly all the informal
ion required to enable an intelligent
armer to do all the work. Chicago
Times. I- -s -. e-