St. Landry democrat., 1885-01-10
DRAINS.
How Much They Are Needed in Barns and
Barnyards.

How Much They Are Needed in Barns and
Barnyards.
Drains about the barns should not
only include those for carrying off the
rain-water, but there should be sutfi-
cient of them to carry off the liquid
manure where it can be saved and made
use of. This part of the manure con-
tains nearly all the potash and nitrogen
of the food, and is far too valuable to
| lose, even at the cost of considerable
expense in providing for its saving. The
value of a cows urine has been consid-
cred equal to that of her food, and, con-
sidering the high value of fertilizers and
the prices a farmer has to pay for
them, it is not at all an unreasonable
estimate. And yet how few farmers
save any portion of it, although fertil-
izers are purchased at a great cost
every year. A simple system of drains,
made at the cost of a few dollars, would
| save all these valuable elements of fer
tility, and remove from the yard what
is now left to become nuisance and
waste. These liquids may be carried
into q shallow pit cemented at the bot
tom, or a tank lined with plank, and
these may be filled with absorbents to
be added to the manure heap; or the
solid manure and litter may be wheeled
out of the stables and thrown into the
pit or tank, and made to absorb the
liquid. This is very important matter
tc be attended to now when there is
leisure. But the drainage from the roofs
should not be mixed with the manure,
or the latter will be so sodden that it
will not ferment and heat, and the val
liable parts of it will be washed out.
The field drains may not require any
elaborate system of underground tile
draining. Thousands of dollars have
been buried in this way without any
which undertaking in a thorough and
competent manner may be required.
AS, for instance, when water flows from
high ground and saturates lower
place, this saturated ground requires
complete system of drains to remove
the water from it. But the evapora-
ton from the soil in our climate where
the summer heats are intense, and dry
ing winds blow almost continually
from the interior of the continent, is so
great that the soil soon loses a surplus of
water that may happen from occasional
heavy rains, and the danger we expert
ence is rather from deficiency than
an excess of moisture. It is not safe
in this respect to rely upon English
authori les and opinions. In that moist
climate, although the rainfall is not
much more than half as much as ours,
the soil is nearly always filled to over
flowing because of the very inadequate
amount of evaporation. There the air
is filled with moisture for weeks at a
time, so that constant drizzle is fall
ing, even when the almost daily show
ers have an intermission. On this ac-
count the excess of water in the soil !
calls for complete undertakings, even
in sandy and grayelly fields, which is
by no means necessary in our drier eli
mate, although our rainfall is greater.
For this reason, complete drainage of |
land is rarely required here and is fire.
quently exceedingly injurious, as it dis
charges from the soil the surplus water
which is indispensable as a supply dur
ing the later dry weather of the sum
mer.-N Y Times.