Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-03-15
FARM AND GARDEN.
ADVANTAGES TO BE OBTAINED
BY UNDERTAKING..

The First Thing to Look After in Ditch
fug-KiIIing Fruit Pests-AbOut the
Time to Ditch-The Object of Under
draining-Farm Notes.
Undertaking may be mentioned as
one OF the most beneficial improvements
on farm. Low, level and heavy lands,
or land that is cut up with swamps and
marshes, also rolling land with streaks
or hollows between the ridges, should
be underdrained. Money expended in
ditching such lands tif the work be prop
erly done) will be speedily repaid with
interest. In ditching the first thing to
look after is good outlet, for no matter
how well the rest OF the work be done,
if there is not good outlet, 1t is all a
failure. When buying tile one should
first consider how many branches on his
farm will enter into the main ditch and
then buy tile large enough to carry all
the water as fast as it gets to it. When
planning for undertaking farm ar
range the main ditch so as to take in the
lowest hollows and where the lay Of the
land will take the longest string OF tile.
Try and have the main ditch about three
feet deep in the shallowest places; this
will give a good fall to the branches.
The object in undertaking is to loosen
heavy, soggy soil and to remove surface
water as soon as possible. To do this
care should be taken to get the ditch
about the right depth. For branch
drains think from two to three feet is
the proper depth. In any ditch the fall
should be evenly distributed throughout
its entire length; it should not have
more fall than necessary part of the way
and the rest be on a level, neither should
part OF the tile be full OF water and the
rest empty. In case OF quicksand in the
bottom boards should be placed under
the tiles to prevent their settling, for, il
the tiles are not kept even, large per-
centage OF their capacity will be lost. In
making turns never turn square, but al
ways on circle large enough that you
can use common tile for making the
turn; for large tile use a larger circle
than for small. Never have a branch
| form right angle with the main ditch,
but let it curve or angle toward the out
let. In running ditch to low sag !
think it does better work to go through
the sag and end in the opposite bank.
| Now about the time to ditch. | will give
my way. put in the main ditch when
ever | can best spare time and when it
| digs easiest. After this is done | choose
field OF sod nearest the outlet OF the
main ditch, from which | am going to
take a succession of crops, and drain the
field in the fall, ditching it so that the
low and high ground will be ready to
work at the same time in the spring. By
doing it in the fall the freezing and thaw-
ing OF winter and spring loosens the soil
and opens the pores through the ground
consequently the ditch is in better work.
ing order and the ground in better shape
for use in the spring than if waited
until spring before dtching. Of the
many advantages obtained by under
draining | will mention but few: l.
What is more unsghtly than what might
be nice field or farm, that is all cut up
with water holes? Undertaking re-
moves these. 2. While working around
pond OF water one is doing more labor
than he would be il it were so that he
hould work through it; besides he is los
,ng the use OF what would be the best
BAIT OF the field if it were underdrained.
rDr again in wet seasons on low lands his
crops are total failure, where they
,,yould have been good had the land been
Thoroughly underdrained. 3. Many
lines IN the spring or in wet weather
pne has to wait long enough for water tc
hoax away from undrained laud to have
had his crops all in il the land had been
drained A, On rlayey soils that are un-
derdrained freezing and thawing will not
heave clever or wheat as it will where
they are not drained.