Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1889-01-26
Reply to Progress"

In answer to the criticism of prog
ress" and "Joncs" on thing, will sim
ply say that they do not talk like men
who knew practically anything about
it. If they had seen thousands Of
miles of it laid in almost all kinds of
soil and perfectly drain the sloughs,
boys and ponds they would not talk as
they do. They tell us that this Texas
soil is not porous and as consequence
the water will not gravitate downward
to thing. A greater error never en-
tered the brain Of any man. The soil
Of all kinds in Texas is perforated
with millions of insect and worm. holes
everywhere, besides do they not know
that where soil fails to take in water
it is useless for vegetation? The
fact that it is the most porous of soils
is why it is so fertile. The scientific
theory of underground drainage is
simply this. Fill barrel full of per.
fcctly dry and pulverized black waxy
soil and it will hold from 80 to 100 per
cent of its weight in water before it be.
comes saturated Now bore few
holes in the middle of the barrel and it
drains off the surplus water above the
holes and if you bore the holes at the
bottom of the barrel all the surplus
water drains off and leaves the soil in
good condition for the growth Of vege-
tation. You would not undertake to
raise flowers in pot or barrel without
holes in the bottom to carry off the
surplus water from the soil, simply be-
cause the plant must have ventilation
from the soil as we'll as from above it.
For instance, surround an elm tree with
water for year and it dies, and so
with most plants, and why, because
they cannot breathe from the soil, OF
in other words there is no ventilation
or air about their roots.
Now if the water in the barrel or
flower pot will percolate through the
soil to the holes at the bottom SO will
the water gravitate to the tiles and be
carried off, leaving the ground IN good
condition for crops or roads. Last
March l dug ditch from two to three
feet in depth, from my kitchen
to the alley and put in a, brick
drain, covered it up and planted
Bermuda grass over it. (Tht
soil as black as any in Waco.
During all the heavy rains since, thu
water goes through the soil Ike {
sieve into the brick drain and Aowl
into the alley, and my yard is fret
from water and mud. You may nov
!: pour out fifteen barrels Of water over j,
and in ten minutes you will not see {
drop Of water over the drain, or yor
may let hose run all day over it ant
; the water goes through the soil to thu
drain as fast as it leaves the hose
Now if this black soil was not very
porous would it drain in that manner
Tile acts precisely in the same manne
for we have thoroughly demonstrated
both kinds Of drainage and have seer
millions of acre, of the best land in thu
United states drained by it and mad
to blossom as the rose. We have mil
|, lions OF acres of wet land in Texas ant
the frogs now have possession and W
will have to give them deed for it i
we don't tile. My Critic" suggest
asphalt etc. That would be fine, blu
does he not know that would cost NOR
= than to ship cobblc stones from Ne,
! England? Philadelphia avenue, il
3 Washington City is made Of asphal
l. and smooth as floor, but it cost pile
\ of money. We favor creameries, suga
mills and manufacturing of all kinds
:, but without better roads l fear the
. would be sad failure.
Yours for better roads, II.