Democratic messenger., 1893-02-11
FARM DRAINAGE.
The Only Practical Method of Permanently
improving Wet Lands.

FARM DRAINAGE.
The Only Practical Method of Permanently
Improving Wet Lands.
Where water after rains stands for a
long time in the burrows and slight de-
pressions i'll the ground AMI on lands
where the shoes of the farmer. except in
periods of drought, are habitually
clogged with sticky mud. and the hoofs
of animals rs they sink into the yielding
toll make cavities that maintain their
.hapc for days. oftentimcs holding wa
Ter. the necessity for drainage of some
kind is too clearly indicated To admit of
any doubt. For changing such unfavor-
able conditions. wherever the lay of the
land will permit. open surface drainage
is often resorted to at first.
While such drains are useful in some
cases in the matter of permanent i'm
provement uf the soil they amount to but
little and are liable to be the cause OF
impoverishment i'll the soil itself by car
rying off fcrtilizing matter into the gul-
lies and streams. Where the surplus
rain that falls upon the ground can be
led off FROM the surface in the same clear
state in which ii descended from the
clouds. the soil receives no injury from
its escape. but il is only under occasional
peculiar conditions that this will occur.
This is So well understood by most
cultivators that other methods have
come into use One. formerly more com
mon than Mt present. was To throw the
wet land into high and wide ridges in
the fall and leave il in that condition
until spring. When cultivation is about
to begin these ridges are further wild, ne
and fiattened out. affording a series OF
rather wide spaces. much better fitted
for cultivation. hut with very undesira-
blc bitches between them. often holding
stagnant water throughout the entire
season. While such practice will not
draw fertility away from the soil, il con.
signs considerable portion of il to non.
usage and Is otherwise Objectionable in
many respects.
The only real and practicable method
of improving wet farm lands by which
their condition is permanently changed
for the better, says the agricultural edi.
tor of the New York World. is by the
use of underground drains, for which tile
is the most common and best material.
Where these are placed at proper depths,
say from three To four feet. and at suit.
able distances apart. varying greatly nc.
cortling 10 the compactness of the soil Il
be drained. and with slight fall to-
ward their outlets. whatever elements
of fertility the surface water may con.
tain will he strained ont within reach OF
the roots of plants in its descent toward
the drains. Furthermore. the upper line
of the ground water sinks below the
level of the drains and the benefit of thi.
form of drainage is realized by the soil
above them becoming favorably changed
in its general character and earlier and
better fitted for crops
Protecting silos Against Frost and Rats.
The general verdict. according To tcs,
| timuny received at the Wisconsin agri
cultural experiment station, is that
| freezing. So far as the silage is concerned
is more an Inconvenience than serious
loss. When the frozen silagc is mixed
with the rest it quickly thaws, and i.
apparently rclishcd as well as if it had
not been frozen. IL is advised, however
that all types of cemented silos be made
frost proof. To prevent the cement from
cleaving off. but with wood silos tn,
construction required to preserve TN,
silage and To protect the frame from
weather appears 10 be sufficient to pre-
vent any serious freezing during al
except protractcd and extreme cold
weather.
The surest safeguard against rats, ac
cording to the authority quoted, ap
pears to be covering the bottom of the
silo with Il layer of small stones or grout
before tn cement is applied. When tn,
cement is applied directly upon tbs
ground the action Of the acids soon sof
tens it To such an extent as to permit tn,
rats to penetrate il without difficulty
The rats usually enter by burrowing un
der the foundation walls. Their de
structive effects result from the admis
sion of air to the silo.