The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-05-01
UNDERTAKING..
Some Reflections on the Practice. of Drain.
ing Farm Lands.

tSeuecI1On4 ffacltCe4 n
ing Farm Lands.
Whenever an unusual drought oc-
ours. and whenever devastating floods
prevail, some writer is pretty sure to
breach the theory that our system of
undertaking is the cause of the diff
Guilty. The argument is that the lines
of pipe underground carry off the water
too rapidly and too thoroughly and
prevent the storing Of water in the soil
for use in time of need. Undoubtedly,
as the country becomes settled and the
original forests are cleared off, the
water runs away more rapidly than in
the early days. Cultivation, especially
deep blowing. breaks up the natural
water courses. As the shade of the
forest disappears, the effect of sunlight
and tillage is to rapidly decrease the
amount of vegetable matter in the soil.
A crust forms on the surface, over
which rains and melting shows rush
into creeks and rivers. destroying large
amounts of property.
The evil is undeniable; but we hold
that the system of Undertaking is not
responsible for it, and is in fact its most
efficient corrective. 1t is great mis-
take to suppose that on long cult
waited field deep undertaking causes
the water to run off more speedily or in
larger quantities after heavy rain, or
at other times when there is liability to
floods. Drainage deepens soils and in
crcases their absorptive capacity. To
the extent it does this it restores soils
to the mechanical condition that they
had when the country was new. The
great bulk Of water in new settlements
is held in the soil. not on its surface:
or, if held in the latter condition. it is
at the expense of malarial feyers, which
are worse than the evils of drought and
Hood.
1t is a popular mistake to suppose
that the bulk of uncleared new land is
undrained. Except in Dogs and
swamps, which settlers always avoid
when they can, there is natural sys-
tenn OF undertaking through the
channels opened by decaying tree
roots. through which surface water per-
colates very much as it does in the
artificial underdrains. On an undrained
surface hardened by long cultivation
water runs off rapidly; and it is here
that floods are most likely to occur. In
an experience of many years we have
uniformly found that deep underdrain-
ing caused the water to run off slowly.
1t soaks into the soil. and this requires
time. The underdrain only takes the
excess Of water above the point of sat
uration. It is something like absorb
ingwater from the pressure of sponge
as compared with the same quantity
passing off from . hardened, smooth
surface.
The effect of deep underdrains is very
different from that of large and numer-
Gus open drains These last do help
the water to run off rapidly, while the
underdrain retards it. The draining of
. bog or swamp where there is no out
let except as water dries out may some
times cut of the source of spring;
but if it does, the remedy is easily ap-
piled. Dig deep hole or well in the
line OF the underdrain which it may run
through. This will hold a reservoir Of
much better water than can be got from
the bog. and as good as from any
spring that finds its source in it. At
all events we can not afford to main-
tain swamps, with their unhealthfuI
malaria, rs means of keeping up our
water supply.-N y. Independent.
-
No matter how much we may hear
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