The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-06-08

FORM OF DRAINS AND LEVEL
known that wood or stones form a very
respectable substitute for tile, perhaps
there would be more improvement
along this line. Doubtless many are
deferred by the cost Of tile. especially
In more remote sections where freight
rates are high, but II is in just such To-
caliiies that the farmer has an abund-
arce of the other materials for con-
stTuctng drains.
Large stones, If they have TO be re-
moved from the fields, may be advan-
tageously used. In this case the ditch
es have 10 be dug wider at the bottom
ard require the removal of more earth.
A row OF stones should be laid on each
aide of the ditch bottom, leaving an
open space through the middle which
Is covered with fat stones and then
plenty Of smaller ones thrown In. III
smaller stones for filling are not to be
had. straw or some waste material
should be placed in before the dirt is
thrown back.
A board drain Is quickly made and
when carefully laid with durable wood
Is very lasting. Oak and chestnut are
the most durable of our northern
woods. Chestnut Is easily rived, and
rived boards last longer than sawed.
Cvpress rives easily and when placed
under the ground where 1t is wet all
the time. almost indestructible. The
earth becomes packed around the
boards which being where they receive
no blows or jars retain an open passage
for water long after the material be-
gins 10 decay. A board six Inches in
width should be nailed to one Of the
same dimensions, and Of any desirable
length. and laid along the bottom OF
the drain like an inverted trough as at
a. II the material is rived and there
are some narrow boards, the narrow
ones may be nailed over two others as
shown IN b.
The ditch need not be over spades
width on the bottom. It's depth Is alto
pether a matter of circumstances. In
draining out low places you have TO cut
the surrounding land deep enough to
get the minimum of fall. This mini
mum Of fall for board drain is greater
than for round tile, and may be set
down as about three inches per 100 feet
Of drain. The deeper the drain the
farther Il will drain, but II Is not
thought to be of advantage 10 make
very deep drains In stiff clay soils. In
tlpse kinds Of soils the drain Will not
do its best at first, but will improve
with years-the ground gradually be-
coming more porous. Two feet of stiff
claws and three feet for lighter soils
are good depths 20 work 70. In laying
the boards. have them fit closely and
cover any holes with small pieces OF
boards. so the dirt cannot get in. BE
sure TO stop up the outlet with coarse
wire screening, so as TO keep out rats,
rabbits, etc.
In laying drains with boards II pays
10 have the bottom even and straight
as possible and the grade uniform, 9TH
erwise the dirt bottom may wash out
or I'm up in places. In getting the grade
the assistance Of an engineer is some
times advisable, but will describe be-
low an instrument which farmer OF
ordinary ingenuity can make at home
and with It do his own grading. Many
,racticaI di.chers make use OF water
I'm the bottom to dig by, and where
there Is plenty Of fall for short dis
tances this does very well. But some-
times there Is no water and experience
has taught tha. In digging by the wa
ter the ditcher will get large fall and
oftentlmes It is Of the greatest impor-
tance 10 get the minimum OF fall.
Take n straight pine board six feet
three inches long, as shown at C. ano ilS
n in the center and at right angles
another board one-balf as long. Al
ends of long arm fix sights and from the
center suspend a plumb bob with string
thread. The apparatus can be fastened
~ a Jacobs staff with thumb screw
and clamped in any position. When the
instrument IS clamped so that the
thread comedies with zero on the scale,
then the sights on the long arm VIII
be level. The scale is divided by lines
one-sixteeuth Of an inch apart. when
the instrument f. moved so that the
thread covers one space, the line OK
sight viii correspond TO grade OF TWO
inches 10 100 feet. When moved two
SPACES from zero the line Of sights VIII
correspond to a grade Of four inches 70
100 feet. etc.-American AgricuituriSt'