St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-06-02
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Under-Drainage in the South.


cotton States have been rendered
valueless by surface washing. anc
millions of acres of bottom lands ar,
Improbable in consequence of beins
covered with 'gully dirt" or satu
rated with stagnant water. Thu
former might have retained their fer.
tility under judicious system of rota
ton OF crops. accompanied by ra.
donal method of cultivation and prop
er attention to horizontalizing They
may still be reclaimed and made pro.
ductive by terracing and green ma,
nuring. The latter could have been
protected, and may be now renovated
by drainage. Indeed, there are yery
few soils that are not bene flied by
under-drainage. There are millions
OF acres of land in the cotton States
needing under-drainage. which need
is not even suspected by their owners.
Any soil underlaid by a tenacious
subsoiL aud which remains wet at the
surface for thirty-slx hours after heavy
rains, would not only be benefited by
under-drainage. but needs it to secure
maximum productiveness. Soils which
remain wet long after spring rains
usually suffer most during the drought is
OF summer.
Nearly all writers upon the subie ct
OF drainage confine themselves to tile,
which is too expensive to be used up
on lands of low value and at their
best of small productiveness. MANY
owners of lands which need drain age
have been deferred from attemptin o il
on account of the expense and their TO-
norance of the principles and practice
OF drainage. Because they do not feel
able to employ an engineer to Law off the
bitches or to purchase tile, they aban-
don the idea of retaining their lands,
and often waste enough money in the
purchase of costly fertilizers for
lands too wet to benefited by them to
pay the expense of drainage, which
would obviate the necessity for the
use OF fertilizers. There are other
methods of drainage and other mate
rial than tile, which, while less per-
manent, are cheap and effective.
Among these are rock, plank and
poles The rock culvert drain is verv
little inferior to tile in bitches which
have stiff clay bottoms. Drains of this
character made thirty years ago are
doing as good work now as then, and
we see no reason why they should not
prove absolutely permanent. Two
years ago we built one hundred
and thirty yards long at a total
cost of $13.15 when completed
The land through which it passed
was SO wet in June of the previous
year that the crop planted upon it
had to be abandoned because a mule
could not walk upon the land without
begging. The pillow was used in
loosing the first two feet of depth,
shovels following and throwing out
the loosened earth. The plow did
also the entire work of filing, except
a few feet at the lower end, filled for
the mule to cross upon. The rocks
were gathered from the surface upon
The adjacent hills This land. which |
had been too wet to be planted in
cotton. produced a bale per acre the |
first season after it was drained. A !
aver OF he stone is placed ON each |
'ide OF the bottom of the ditch and
others laid across them, thus forming
. culvert in the center Other smaller
stones are then laid over these. and
VII covered with straw of some kind
o prevent the oil from sitting through
he stone into the culvert. This
8 pressed down firmly upon the
tone. and good turn plow will fill
he ditch and complete the job. By
his method of drainage. stone that is
nuisance upon the surface of the
elds is made very useful and profita-
dc. IN those sections in which stone
an not be gotten, poles may be SUBJ
tituted. These will last fifteen or
wenty years. the time being greater
r less according to whether the poles
re continuously wet or are alternate
wet and dry. Three poles are used
$ follows: One is laid on each side of
ne bottom of the ditch. so that there
ill be space of two or three inches
etween them; third pole is laid
bove and between them to ..break the
lint. The ends of no two poles
lould be together; this to avoid ugly |
'ints and to guard against their de- {
ression Of resulting obstruction of
le drain. Poles of about six inches {
diameter answer best. IT poles can
ot be gotten. split timber used in the {
me way will answer The V $
rain, or inverted trough. if made of 9
Try durable material, answers good i
lrpose. but is more expensive and
So durable than the poles. No mat
L which is used. a liberal quantity
straw should be spread over the !
aterial and well packed over thel g
lies or plank before filling in withh G
nth. Tho object of this is to pre- iig
mt tho loose earth from sitting into d
Q culvert aud obstructing the dram d
re. n
Il open bitches are used they should q
IT De less than three feet deep,
ould be wide at the top and narrow s
tho hot tor, 10 r.raxyn,G <,,,,, -, II