Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-14
ABOUT DRAINAGE.
Few Words on the Theory and Praclic,
of Drainage.

rev hofdn on lhe IheOry ana IfhCtlcs
of Drainage.
Water is indispensable to the growth
Of plants. Green vegetation contains
from eighty to ninety per cent. Of
water and so far as this Is concerned
the water is actual plant food and nee
essary nntrimcnt. But plants require
far greater supply than this, for rs
every plrt of the solid matter of plants
- only taken into the roofs in solution
N water, vast quantity is required to
mature crop. Thus for every pound
of wheat produced in an experimental
crop grown for tho purpose of invcsti-
eating this question, no less than 1903
bounds of water were cvaporated by
.he plants, and consequently passed
. through them. entering by tho roots
and escaping through. the leaves. This
quantity was used by the wheat which
produced the least. viz: less than ono
pound of grain, but when ten pounds
was produced the consumption OF water
was 7,702 pounds; showing that the
larger the quanty of water used by tho
crop the greater was the product. This
result, however, only goes to GER
tain extent, and when the maxi
mum result is reached and the
water is in cxce.s of tho require
mcnts OF tho crop harm is done and
the plant does not grow, for the water
used by plants must be active and not
stagnant, and must have certain guam
tity of atmospheric air contained in it,
The water must in fact be passing
through the soil, just qs the air breathcd
by an animal must Ibe in motion and
constantly renewed d' it can not sustain
Life. Hence when the water in the soil
is in excess and becomes stagnant the
plants Immediately begin to suffer, and
this from two causes, one that the
water in contact with the roots is ex-
hausted of the ncedful soluble matter
for the food of the plants and the ncces-
sary supply of air is withheld. There
is no motion, no circulation of vivifying
air In the soil, and there can be no life.
Then the plants cease to grow, they
sickeh, turn yellow, and soon die, and
u useless and pernicious vegetation
takes their place.
This is the well-known experience
If farmers whose land has an i'm
peryious subsoil which holds the water,
and to provide means for preventing
the fatal stagnat,on of it in the soil.
When the drains are made and the
water passes freely through the soil,
circulation of air is at once established,
and the more water which falls upon
the land the more vigorous and abund-
ant are the growth and yield of tho
crops. But where these fatal condi-
tions do not exist and the water can
find its way naturally through the sub
soil the costly drainage is not required,
and the expense of draining such land
is simply money thrown away and
wasted for no purpose. Many
farmer, misled by the prevailing
"boom" in regard to tile drainage,
has been seriously embarrassed and
disappointed, because the promised in
crease of crops by which he expected
to be repaid for his outlay has not been
realized.
In practice, drainage is only re-
quired when the conditions above men
toned are existing. When in plowing
the land in the spring, or in digging
down into it at any other time when
rain has fallen abundantly the water
is found near the surface, then drains
are required to carry it of. In the one
case the work is interfered with and
the timely preparation of the soil for
crops is prevented, and in the other
the growing crops suffer and become
diseased or perish, or weeds abound,
or the needed cultivation of the fields
is prevented. But when no surplus
water is found in the soil at seasons
when It would ha injurious or inc0n-
venient, and when the accumulation
from the winters rains pass Off carly
In the spring, enabling work to bo
done In good time, and when no water
can be found in digging down throo
feet at any timo in the growing season,
drainage is not required, for its sole
useful purpose is TO carry off surplus
water, and any other claim for it, such
as useful aeration of the land or of add
ing fertility to it, is wholly basclcss
Drains should be placed three feet
deep in the ground. The distance bo.
tween them should vary, as the soil is
more or less charged with water; for
tho more water in the soil to be ro-
moved the more outlets will be needed
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