The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-03-31
THE FARM AND HOME.
AN IMPORTANT POINT IN
DRAINING THE LAND.
In What Direction to Garry Of the Water
"A Good Hot-Bed-Land Plas.
ter-Points on Pork and
Home Hin is.
Leveling for Farm Drainage.

/ Leveling for Farm Drainage.
| Many people who wish to drain
their land are not aware of the fact
that the very element they wish to
get rid OF. may in many instances,
first be utilized to advantage in making
a calculation as to which is the best
direction to carry it, On very level
land it is sometimes quite difficult to
ascertain which direction it will run;
in other instances the course may, be
known, but it is hard to tell whether
a proper outlet can be obtained es-
pecially in the case Of underdrains
These points can be ascertained by
the use of a spirit level though not
so accurately as with a surveyors lev
cling Instrument; but if neither of
these is at hand, the water itself may
be used as a substitute
A pool or pond of water few rods
across may be converted into level
equal in accuracy to the best sur
veyor's instrument ever made; some
care and Judgment however. must be
used as with surveyors instrument
in order to get the best results. On
many farms such a pool may be found
after any heavy rain, especially when
the ground is frozen so that the water
cannot soak in; while in some instances
it may be necessary to form a pool by
throwing temporary dam across
some ditch or watercourse.
10 construct the level, writes Lewis
A. Greeley in the Practical Farmer
get two stakes and saw off one end of
each perfectly square, and sharpen
the other end. Next make a mark
exactly four feet from the square or
top end of each stake. Now drive
them on opposite sides of the pool and
in the edge of the water until the four
foot mark just touches the surface
The level is now complete. AS the
surface OF the water is level the tops
OF the stakes must also be level, and
when sighting across them at any OBJ
Ject, either near or distant. that comes
exactly in range with their tops you
may conclude that that object is ex-
actly four feet higher than the sur
face OF the water in the pool. For in
stance, third stake is placed at some
distant point and in line with the
first two; it is then driven until its ton
is exactly level with the tops of the
sight stakes; upon measurement the
top Of this last stake is found to be
three feet above the surface of the
ground. and we arrive at the conclu.
| sion that stake No. 8 is exactly one
foot higher than the surface of the
water in the pool.
we will now go to the opposite
stake at the upper side of the pool
and sight down stream toward a tai
Ter stake that has been previously
placed in line with the sight stakes;
an assistant standing at this stake,
holds a strip of latha~ horizontally
! against it and moves the lath up or
down as we direct, and marks on the
stake the place that is exactly level
with the tops Of the sight stakes; bv
measuring we find this mark is six
feet above the surface OF the ground
where it is driven; therefore, the
ground at this stake is two feet lower
than the surface OF the water in the
pool.
Again let us suppose that we wish
to find the amount of fall in a water
| course that runs past but not through
the pool we are using as a level By
moving sight stakes on different sides
of the pool, we may set stakes in any
| direction from it. and by setting one
stake in the upper end OF this side or
branch watercourse and another at
the lower end. having the tops of
each exactly level with the tops of the
sight stakes, we may ascertain the
amount of fall by finding the differ
ence in the height of the two Sec
ondary stakes.
Nor is this all; let us suppose that
we wish to set a stake, which, on &C
count of intervening hills. we cannot
see from The pool to level up the two
other sight stakes that are in line with
and in sight of the stake in question.
However, it is questionable whether
as accurate results can be obtained by
the use OF the secondary stakes ulloss
they are quite remote from each other.
And let me remark here. that the
further apart the stakes in the pool
can be set the more accurate will be
the result [ have leveled when thew
"SAo o0e LII OIL OAu ultCll, twenty-five
rods apart; but where they are so far
apart would recommend that strips
of board painted different colors.
should be nailed horizontally across
the tops in order to make them more
plainly visible Although I have
recommended four feet as convenient
height for the sight stakes, yet any
height may be used; in case of inter-
vening hills, brush. etc. 1 have used
stakes so high that it became neces-
sary to erect scaffold upon which to
stand while taking sight
..E a Good Hot Bel.
A hot-bed sash is made six feet long
by three feet wide the side rails,
untains and top rail, of one and a