The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1899-01-26

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Many farmers whose land II rollins
or billy do not appreciate the benefit
that undertaking 1t would give them.
says American Cultivator. The soil
Is thin and they complain that the
water runs OF too rapidly. That ID
indeed just the trouble. There is only
. thin stratum on the surface that Is
permeable by water. and when the
floods come. they carry every winter
more or less Of this surface soil into
the valleys below. Wherever the sub
soil Of hills is clay an underdrain sunl
three feet deep will cause the water
that comes to 1t to sink into the soil
and be carried OF by the drain instead
OF on the surface. On very steep hill.
sides 1t Is not best to dig ditchei
straight up and down the hill.
diagonal course, leading the water
across the hill, with a gradual descen.
to the lower part. will be much better
OF course several drains will be need.
ed. running parallel. in q hill Of much
size. and all may run into an open
ditch on the lower side Of the hill
We dislike to run side-hill drains into
large underground conduit. More o.
less dirt will be loosened and brought
down In the drains. The covered con-
duit will often need to be cleaned. So
will the open ditch. but it will be
much less trouble than the underdrain.
Wherever there Is a sudden stoppage
of rapid descent, there will be large
deposit Of silt. and at such place .
deep. wide hole, two or three feet be-
low the tile, should be made to be
filed with water. In this still water
all the soil brought from the heights
above will be deposited. and from this
on the further side a drain can be run
that will take only the pure water
above the surface of the silt.
BY thus draining hillsides. all the
surface wash can be prevented. What
comes down through the tiles will be
very little except for the first few
years, while the soil is settling. After
an underdrain is thus established In
its position, it undergoes very few
changes. The effect of frost on moist
ground is to expand and deepen 1t, 50
that 1t will absorb more water. In
this way the hillside may be given a.
deep soil and with As much fertility
as the best lowland. with the al
vantage over the latter that 1t Is not
likely to be overlooked with water
which remains stagnant. On many up
land hillsides, springs will be struck
in the progress Of UNDERTAKING.. or
there may be springs that appear even
now ON the surface. These springs
ought always to be tapped. Wherever
there is a wet place In the hillside q
little digging will probably find the
spring that originates it. Sole or
round tile should always be used In
hillside draining. Where horseshoe
tile are used the edges OF the tile are
liable to be undermined by washing
away of the soil between them, and In
this way the drain Is soon spoiled.
With sole or round tile there is no
such friction on the soil beneath 1t.
Many hillsides are too rocky for
profitable draining, and especially
those that are very springy. But on
almost all of them 1t Is possible to
make short underdrains from wet
places to the lower grounds, where 1t
can often in rocky soil find assures in
the rocks through which 1t may pass
to the wales below. The greater part
of the rainfall on mountains thus finds
its way to the seaboard. II the noun
tain streams brought in surface floods
all the rain that falls, 1t would make
greater floods than any that are now
known. This is shown by the heavy
floods that come when the ground Is
covered with ice. so that the natural
escape through absorption by the sur.
face soil is stopped.