St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-07-14
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL
Under-Orainage in the s

HaSc Occn rendered
vaiueless BY surface washing. and
millions OF acres of bottom lands are
unpronta BILE in consequence Of being
covered with gully dirt" or satin.
rated with stagnant water Tho
former might have retained their fer
Utility under a judicious system of rol.-
uon o. crops. accompanied by a IA.
uonai method OF cultivation and prop
Ct attention TO horizonializing They
may still be reclaimed and made pro-.
ductive by terracing and green ma
nurinS. The latter could have been
protected. and may be now renovated
~ drainage. Indeed. there are very
Jew soils that are not bcne fitted by
nndcr-drainage. There arc millions
OF acres of land in the cotton States
needing undertakings. which need
Is not even suspected by their owners
ANY soil nnderlaid by = tenacious
subsoll and which remains wet at the
surface for thirty-slx hours after heavy
rams 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 droughts
Of summer.
Nearly all writers upon the subject
OF drainage con fine themselves TO tile.
which is too expensive to be used up
on lands of low value and at their
best OF small productiycness Many
owners of lands which need drain are
have been deferred from attempting it
on account of the expense and their TO-
norancc OF the principles and practice
OF drainage. Because they do not feel
able 10 employ an engineer to lay off the
bitches or to purchase tile. they ADAM
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 obviatc 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 anG effective.
Among these are rock. plank and
poles. The rock culvert drain is very
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 no,
prove absolutely permanent. Two
years ago we built one q hundred
and thirty yards long at a total
cost of el3.15 when completed.
Tho land through which it passed
was SO wet in juno of the previous
year that the crop planted upon il
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,
shovcls following and throwing out
the looscned earth The plow did
also the entire work of filling. except
a few feet ut tho 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 DO planted in
cotton. produced a bale per acre the
first season after it was drained. A.
layer of The stone is placed en- each
side Of the bottom of tho ditch and
others laid across them. thus forming
= culvcrt in the center. Other smaller
stones arc then laid over these. and
all covered with straw of some kind
TO prevent the oil from sitting through
the stone into the culvcrt. This
is pressed down firmly upon the
stone. and a good turn plow will fill
the ditch and complete the job BIZ
this method of drainage. stone that is
n nuisance upon the surface of the
fields is made very useful and rrofita-
bic. In those sections in which stone
can not be gotten. poles may be sub
stituted. These will last fifteen or
twenty years. tho time being greater
or less according to whether the poles
are continuously wet or are alternate
~ wet and dry. Three poles are used
rs follows: One is laid on each side OF
the bottom of the ditch. so that there
will be space of two or three inches
between them; third pole is laid
above and between thcm to "break the
Joint" The ends of no two poles
should be together; this to avoid ugly
joints and 10 guard against their de-
preston of resulting obstruction of
the drain. Poles Of about six inches
in diameter answer best II poles can
not be gotten. split timber used in the
same way will answer The vi
drain. or inverted trough. if mado of
very durable material. answers good
purpose. but is more expensive and
less durable than the poles. No mat
ter which is used. a liberal quantity
of straw should be spread over the
material and well packed over the
poles or plank before filling in with
earth The object of this is 10 pre-
vent tho loose earth from sitting into
ahe culvcrt aud obs,ructing the dram
age.
II open bitches are used they should
not 10 less than three feet deep
should be wide ut the top and narrow |
ut the bottom 10 prevent crumbling Of |
the sides and 10 facilitate securing Of |
the bottom. If the volume of water to
be carried is very small. six to twelve
inches is wide enough for the bottom.
Terracing and undertakings arc
the two initial steps towards the
of our Southern country to
profitable productiveness- Cor South
cyn Cnltirator.
Bees and Bookkeeping.