Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-08-20
THE FARM AND HOME.
AN INTERESTING LECTURE ON
DRAINAGE.
Practical Points for the Farmer-H Horse
sense and Hog Cholera-sheepa
weeds-Swine Husbandry
and Home Hints.
"why We Drain"

O.s spoke TeCeDtly 10 luS StuuGul@
professors and visitors at the Ohio
state university on the subject why
We Dram.
The lecture was hlled with practical
points and for the benefit Of readers
the reporter obtained permission 10
publish notes made during its deliv.
cry.
The sub. ect of Why We Drain is
one OF vast extent bnt the brief sum
nation OF it Is that drainage is for the
purpose OF removing surplus water.
Does all land need to be drained9 No
only that which has surplus water.
Borace Greeley said; If It pays to
Till il pays 10 tile. but this is proba-
bly, not always true. Land with a por-
Gus subsoil does not require artificial
drainage. yet we should tile all that is
too wet il Ia however true that
moro land needs to be tiled than many
persons suppose.
What is surplus water? 1t is what
is known as hydrostatie water or that
which cannot get any lower because
there is more water below il. Hydro.
static water is always damage and
should DO removed by drainage yet
capillary water is benefit The
latter is that water which is held in
the coil BY capillary attraction. 1t is
TIC moisture in damp earth where we
find 1t only damp but not muddy, II
/ holds Itself ia the very minute
| spaces and will remain even in a very
| porous soil or rock. II the proper
air cpaces are filed with water Of
saturatlon the vegetation is destroyed
The roots must have air and they
cannot take it from the air contained
in water as fishes do.
Tho level Of hydrostatic water can
be found By digging a mole or we'll
when the surface OF the water stand
iuP in il will be the level OF the by
| drostatic water. just now the upper
surface is very near the top OF the
/ ground. IL is much better TO remove
this down through the soil than to
drain II of over the soil II makes
farming easier and quicker and makes
less or no waste land. With surface
bitches farmer has to waste a great
deal OF valuable time in making turns
and cultivatlng small or angular
patches. but with good subterraneau
dra ms all lands can be iarmed over
and great deal OF time IS saved.
This is a mechan cal reason. but a
| good tile drain is also a promoter Of
morality. and relieves the farmer OF
the embarrassment attend ng upon toe
occasion OF his having to use what
Oh yer Wendell Holmes ha, chosen to
call his 'unsanctified monosylIables. 5"
The second reason for removing the
hydrostatic water through the so is
that it removes the water in the so |
as we'll as that on il The wheat crop
frequently dies OF wet feet but this
can easily be prevented by careful
drainage.
Again. it tends to diminish the loss
OF fertility. If not drained a great
deal OF the plant food is carried OF
and washed away. but in drained land
the fertility is kept in the soil as IL
acts as a filter TO the water before
reaching the drainA
IL also warns the soil and tends TO
increase its fertility. 1t leaves the air
spaces open for the warmth 10 come
up from below, and thus hastens or
aids early spring growth. IL also
gives a chance for warm spring rains
70 descend and thus aids growing
cropa
The thawing Of ice by warmth from
the air Is very slow process Drain.
ing also saves the necessity Of cooling
by evaporation when thawing by the
san. and 1t takes away the surplus
moisture that must otherwise be evap-
orZtcd. This evaporation itself cools
the Land greatly and continues nearly
all The time 1t is the same principle
as Is used in making artificial ice by
evaporation. II keeps the land so cold
that corn and even oats will often not
sprout ct all Although porous
soil may freeze deeper II lengthens
the season OF tillage and that at each
end too. Drained land is also a de.
cided advantage to the farmer in the
fact that he is able to cultivate it soon
after . rain.
II increases the area Of the root pas
sage II the ground Is soaked with
wate" the roots will have to run near
the surface IN order to get breath. and
1t is thus shown that IL also increases
the depth OF root space. In twenty
years g per cent of the speakers ap.
pie trees died out on land that was
not drained, and in the same length
Of time but thirteen per cent died out
on drained land.
X. w. Emerson shows that there
always room in the lower story, Il
} properly found by deep tillage Drain.
ing also permits one to thoroughly
pulverize the soil but IL Is absolutely
impossible to pulverize mud.
1t also prevents the frost from
heaving plants out OF the ground. az
, we sometimes see clover roots in the
: spring on wet land. Further. IL lowers
, the level Of saturation and permits the
formation OF valuable dust mulch.
We all know the beneficial results
Of clover but II we are going to have
any OF these results we must tile drain.
Capillarity can lift the water 10 thu
I