Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-05-03
TILE DRAINAGE FOR THE FARM

Sunday, April 30, 1893.
ED. JOURNAL: Today IL rains again
and :be average farmer Is getting pret-
" "blue" over the prospect.
But the man who has bis ground
tiled out thoroughly Is all right. Did
you ever notice stripes through the
fields where grain Is growing, where
the lap or top furrows are, that is al
ways taller and better grain, with u
better color, than the rest OF the field.
Now the reason Of this Is only that this
strip n better drained because 1t In above
the rest Of the field "a few inches.
Then II all the field was as well
drained, the whole field would evident
~ be ~ good NJ these best strips. Nov
this II exactly what drainage does.
One msn over on the La Creek or
"Rickreal," who has tried 1t, says in
two years the increase In his grain
crops paid for all his work and tile, aud
more.
The actual cost of tile to drain an
acre Of ground is only eight 10 twelve
dollars, and almost any farmer can do
the work by o little study and the use
Of little common sense.
One thing In necessary and that Is
good tools and the right kind. A tile
spade ls or 20 inches long to dig with.
and rounded tile hoe to clean out the
bottom, is absolutely necessary. The
common spades or round polluted show
els are no good for this work. A great
many people have tried to dig out IA
ditch with spade or shovels aud would
think from their experience that II
would be an everlasting job TO dig a few
thousand feet Of tile ditch, but II is
easier TO dig = tile ditch twenty inches
deep with the right kind OF tovls, than
10 dig out eight inches with round
pointed shovel.
Nearly every farmer sees the advan-
tsge OF drainage, and make more or less
effective shifts to drain, by plowing the
land 10 ridges, plowing deep dead fur
rows aud digging open bitches IN the
fields; vet all Of these are Objectionable.
The deep burrows aud ridges are hard
70 get over, and, M In the case of open
ditcLes. there IL q great deal of land
wasted BY nurrow and ditch and al.
lowed TO grow up 10 weeds TO seed the
other parts Of the field. All this makes
extra work aud lessons the yield OF
grain or other products OF the field.
Then II 10 IN eternal Job to keep these
opeu bitches and furrows open. Nat
ure 10 working against you all the time,
trying 10 bring the ground down to y
general level. washing down your
ridees, breaking down banks Of bitches
with frost. sunshine and rain, and 1t Ia
IN uphill job TO buck against nature
and her laws. On the other hand II |
the ground 10 once thoroughly tiled, Il |
h done for all time. Your children's
childFsn 20 the hundredth generation,
will never need 10 do Il over, and moth
lug In this world will ever disturb their
sven how. except an earthquake that
dlsturbs the present levels Of the earth.
The nslds can b. plowed or worked all
ovsr aud In every direction aud there
nv no nitssn.fset turn rows every few
'ods over tho field 10 try the temper
md destroy the profits OF working. IL
, well known that Il Goals no more TO
plant aud harvest . crop OF 40 or so
,ushsls of grain per acre than Que Of 10
y 10. lexcept possibly the threshing
'lll) and of course all grown above the
losmal average will be almost clear I
Ain. II Armem only knew Il. they
avs last more this past year. from lack I
dsuinass aud miserable Substitutes
y u. than all their taxss have ,
nsouatsd - io doxen years. ~ high !
nd usrsasonsble ~ they ara. IA
J don't ssiss wheat any more. but |
Dlleve that even 81 oeats bushsl for
hs>t can - made 10 pay profit u .