The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1900-03-28

ing 10 farmer With no ready money,
yet II is the safest investment he can
make. lie can afford to borrow money
when his land needs thing. Thousands
of farmers have placed mortgage OH
land for drainage purposes, who are
now in good circumstances, and owe
their success in life to well drained
farm.
In viewfof the fact that a farmer will
reap all the benefits, and the returns
are so quick, he should ALWAYS take
great pains and lay if right, never in a
slipshod or carless manner.
When farmer makes up his mind
that his land needs drainage and goes
at it in systematic manner, it is not
half the trouble or expense that he first
anticipated. Two good hands in ordi-
nary soil can ditch, lay and cover
twelve to fifteen rods four-inch thing
per day. This can be expedited by US
ing a pillow to cover ditch.
The thing can be bought, delivered,
from Is cents to IS cents per rod. With
a little experience and Judgment. after
land has been surveyed and the fall as
certained, the farm hands can lay tile
properly.
The mains must be large enough to
receive the laterals, and all linesshould
be laid straight to a true grade with
sufficient fall to carry the water off.
The preponderance of opinion by
men who have had large experience
with thing is that when fail enough can
be secured, thing should be laid at
least three feet under the surface, and
deeper if practicable. 1t is estimated
that thing will draw water from thirty to
fifty feet on each side.
1t depends upon the size and number
of lines and condition of land, etc., TO
determine actual cost per acre, but on
an average land in our section will cost
from three to twelve dollars per acre.
There is great deal of land that has
natural drainage and does not specially
need thing. But there are thousands
and hundreds of thousands OF acres Of
land in this State that at casual glance
people should not think needed drain
age, yet the same land could be en-
HANGED IN value and products from %
to 100 per cent. at a small outlay.
There is a vast area of rolling or billy
land that badly needs thing. 1t would
prevent gullies, and instead of the rains
washing all the fertility down the hill
to be carried away by creeks. it would
sink into the soil and greatly benefit
the land
Drainage is badly needed on land
that has clay sub-soil, and on nearly
all the bottom lands adjacent to water
courses.
Land that needs drainage badly
usually hangs out danger Signal that
can be read by interested parties.
Sometimes standing water. simply dark
wet streaks, seen in plowed land again
in the irregular growth ofcorn, which is
plainly marked by the curling leaves,
or perhaps shivering grain
which has survived a cold win
ter" When water rises in the post
holes, the water level needs lowering.
When moss covers the pasture and
coarse wild grass flourishes THAT is so
sour that it will not fatten cattle), you
can get your spades and put your men
to work with bright prospects of sue
cess. By a wise provision of nature,
where thing and brick are most needed,
there is almost certain to be a deposit
of clay suitable to manufacture same.
Every farmer. in my knowledge, who
has used thing in any quantity. has
placed his profit at double the cost of
thing the first year thereafter. Now, if
the FARMERS OF MADISON COUNTY,
for instance, should invest one-half
million of dollars in thing their farms,
the next year would result in one mil
lion dollars in cash. added annually for
all times to the products and wealth of
the farmers, exclusive of the great
enhancement in the value Of lands and
other immense benefit.
"a farmer that has wheat or clover
sown on land that needs thing is a
slave TO weather conditions A greater
part of the wheat freezes out in the
winter or early spring, and what is left
looks brown and dead. When clover is
sown on wet land the plants and roots
try to get up in the air for warmth,
while on drained land the wheat comes
out after freeze looking green and
fresh, while the clover plants lie down
close to the soil with roots deeply
anchored, like it was warm and COM
Portable, and when the spring rains
come both crops are in fine condition
to grow" In fact, there is no crop
grown in the State but what will be
greatly benefited by proper drainage.
: would most respectfully urge the
farmers OF this State, who own wet
lands or lands that need thing, to begin
at once and erect neighbOrhood plants
and tile part OF their lands each year, as
they can stand it, until completed. The
: investment will be a money maker and
a constant benefit in wet weather, in
drouths. in season and out of season.
Prof. Grisborne, who is regarded as
good authority on tile drainage, says
THE OBJECT OF ORANGE is to inn
part to such soils the mellowness and
$ color of self-drained. rich and friable
$ SOIL" In different parts of this State
there are large areas of cold, wet, white
|, land that by being properly drained
( will not only increase the crops and
n raise the price of lands, but actually
J change the color of the soil to a dark
Il friable soil 1t is evident that this eff
$ feet is produced by the growing crop in
{ tersecting every particle of the soil
Is which they could never do before the
| drainage. These with their excretions
n decompose on removal of the crop, anc
are acted upon by air and water. anC
change In degree the inorganic sub
stance of the soil. Thereby drained
land, which was before inpervious t.
water and air, and consequently un
available to air and roots, to worms, o
to vegetable and animal life, becomes
by drainage, populated by both.
Besides proper drainage OF land
q there is another strong appeal from thu