The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-20
Drainage an Important Matter.

drainage Gil POA So-4L A4RN
The matter Of drainage. says the Phila-
delphia Record, has received attentions in
in these columns before. but as this is the
season when the work Of draining the land
can be done without interference by grow
ing crops, the advantages Of so doing
should be considered by every farmer
who desires to convert a wet field into one
that can be cultivated with the expectation
of deriving any kind of crop and of realiz-
ing a profit on land that at present can only
be devoted to the production of scant herb
age
II is well known that if a vessel is full of
wafer no air can enter therein. Water is
also q CONDUCTOR of heat, and its presence in
the soil largely conduces the degree Of heat
or cold to " ich the land reaches under
certain conditions. PlartS require moistuI Q,
but will not thrive if the land is wet be-
cause the excess of moisture prevents the
warmth from reaching the roots. To render
the LAID warm, dry and adapted to the pro-
duction of crops, the water in the soil must
be red ced below its usual level. As the
water in the soil must be lowered to an ex-
tent to permit horses to tread on the land,
and as open ditches are distinctions, and
entail expense in repairs and cleaning, the
only correct method of draining land is by
tiles placed under the ground and at a
depth sufficient to carry off the water at all
seasons.
1t is not necessary to explain the manner
in which tiles are placed in the ground for
purposes of drainage, a, it is very simple
and also familiar to nearly all farmers; but
the majority of farmers do not view the
matter from a standpoint of economy. The
cost of the tiles, the placing of them in po-
siton and the labor in general overshadows
the great advantages gained. The object
here is to point out the fact that tile drainage
brings under cultivation land that would
other wise be of no value Heat and air in
the soil are essential to plant growth The
air exerts an influence in breaking down
combinations by supplying oxygen. while
beat hastens and promotes all chemical pro-
cesses. AS the water is compelled, by its
weight and other natural influences due to
gravity, to escape by the nearest outlet, it is
carried off by the drain tiles very rapidly.
and it is impossible for the water TO again
remain near the surface after the land is
once opened by cultivation.
AS the water in the cold soil descends the
air follows, and the earth becomes dry, and
consequently more porous. The escape of
the water causes vacuum. which is lmme-
diately filed with air, and warmth is car
ried wherever the air enters. The soil,
which before was saturated with stagnant
water, is now rendered friable, and the
moisture which reaches the plants is fresh
from the clouds, carrying oxygen and heat,
the roots going down into the subsoil in
search of moisture during dry seasons,
which the drained and poroue sill retains,
although the excess is carried off. The air
also enters from below, through the drain
pipes, and not only dry soil is obtained by
drainage. but the land can be cultivated
early in the season. is easily armed after
the spring begins, aud in a single year may,
with suitable crop, pay the entire cost of
drainage