Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-09-28

SuD-SOil IL thdI 10
OF sand or gravel the water will pass off
below by natural drainage; but il the
sub-soil is clay or other impervious
substance, the water is checked IN its
downward course and remains stag
nant or bursts out upon the surface
in the form Of springs. Most or the
prairie lands are of the latter charac-
ter, and wherever such sub-soil exists
the land will not only be improved by
tile drainage, but it may be SAID that
such drainage is absolutely essential
to its proper development and culture.
To question the necessity Of the process
Is little less absurd than it would be
to ask whether it would be improved
by blowing. instead of making hills for
corn in the prairie grass with hoe
or spade. All lands require drainage
winch, at any season, contain too mucn
water-that is, which hold at any time
oil the year more moisture than Is good
for the crops, and causes them to SUI
fer, either by freezing out in winter,
or having their roots in water during
the growing season. Drainage has
btNh nppt oShhSk CD ShS -
OF rendering land not only SO free from
moisture that no superfiuous water
shall remain in it, but that no water
shall remain long enough to injure or
retard the healthy growth of such
plants as are required for the susie
nance OF man or beast" There are
some plants, as rice and cranberries,
which require a wet soil, but most OF
those which are useful to man, are
drowned by being overlooked for
short time, and are injured by any
stagnant water about their roots. The
soil Of the prairies, in most cases, Is
underlaid with clay, which not I'M
frequently contains mixture OF me-
taliic oxides, which cause ii to form
a substratum almost of the nature OF
rock, and knewn commonly among
farmers as hard PAN" 1t is a COM
mon impression that clay is imperyious
to water, and that, therefore, clay
soil-and particularly if it has assumed
the solid form of hard pan" under the
surface-can not be drained with tile,
and especially if the tile is laid lower
than the hard pam" But that such
land is not absolutely impervious Is
proved by the fact that it is very wet
in the spring at almost any depth,
while in the latter part OF the summer
1t becomes dry and hard. How comes
1t to be soaked at any time, IL water
does not go into it? And how comes IL
dry, if water does not come out OF II!
The facts that clay will readily ABSORB
a great deal of water, and that it may
be subsequently dried, prove conclu-
sively that it is not impervious to
water, but they do not prove that water
will pass through it with sufficient
rapidity to answer the practical pur-
noses of drainage. 1t is nevertheless
n fact that owners OF clay farms al
most invariably overestimate the diff
ficulty in draining their land. They
know that puddled clay is used for the
bottom of ponds, canals, ETC., and Is
nearly or quite impervious. But such
is not its natural condition, and it is
only reached by working and beating
II while wet or. as in the case OF the
hard pan subsoil, by continued pres
sure from above Nor can clay be
kent in this condition except by being
constantly wet. II once dried, or SUBJ
iected to the action Of frost. it resumes
its natural porous condition.-Anon.