Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-28
TIE DRAIN STOP COCK
Tama Farmer Uses Them to
Hold Moisture In His
Land
CAN REGULATE HIS DRAINAGE
He Builds cisterns and Automatic
Valves Which Stop Drainage Under
Low Pressure But Open For the Es-
cape of Flood Waters-Unique Corn
Crib.
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

special TO lmeS-ReDuDltcan.
rama, Sept. 2S.-Each year brings
something new in farm implements,
which reduces the labor and makes
the farmer more nearly Independent
of hired help.
r. II. Maniul has studied the drain
age question and has come to the con-
clusion that tile in dry weather draws
Off the water too fast, hence a patent
stop which he inserts in the end of the
tile which holds the water. But when
pressure Is sufficient the valve opens
and allows the water to flow away. 1t
is placed somewhat as follows: Start
ing at the head of the slough he lays
his tile almost level for perhaps 100
to zoo feet, according to. the fall of
land. Here he puts In large cistern
to one side and puts in one of his
stop valves. At this part the end is
almost to the surface. Here he digs
down couple Of feet and puts a sew
er pipe in one end, and from there
again runs his tile until it comes to
the surface again, when another stop
valve, a sewer pipe, etc. in this one
for the whole distance which he wishes
to drain. In this way he draws the
water from surrounding territory and
runs it into these reservoirs, where it
Is held until wanted. These stop
valves, which are the whole thing, are
nothing more nor less than a cast iron
plug with Il heavy flap. When the
pressure is heavy the plug raises on it's
hinges and the water flows until the
pressure is reduced, when it closes
again. Mr.. Manfull has all his traps
open and puts on bricks to hold the
water in, to experiment with, but after
person has, found what the flow ought
to be he can weight up his traps and
cover up ard farm over same as any
tile. He has this line Of tile thru what
is now pasture. At the end of the
tile he has put in water trough. The
tile comes in at the bottom and as the
cattle drink 1t simply lowers the water
in the supply tanks or cisterns which
he has built along the ditch. The re-
suit is always plenty of fresh, cool
water for the cattle. with no windmill
or gasoline engine to get out of fix.
Another thing here which caught my
eye was corn crib being built by
Frank Fish. He started in with ce>
ment floor over all. Then he built n
double crib fourteen feet high, with a
driveway in the middle, with this
floor so arranged that he has six fee,
below and eight feet above. 1t is as
nearly air tight as an oat bin and it is
rat, chicken and rain proof. He saves
by such crib a great deal of labor
as follows. The team will pull the loac
Of corn up the six feet that he would
have to throw it by hands If he had
his floor on the level. With his f1ool
six feet up and cement floor un-
derneath it makes good place to feed
the hogs and cattle, no waste and can
be kept clean. and so the corn does not
have to be handled but the once, i.e..
when put in crib. With Mr.. Fish's
way of feeding one man can feed &
great many cattle and do it easily.
I never come to Tama but that / am
impressed by what the term good
roads mean. Last year the farmers
and business men were putting gravel
on the lowlands across the river upon
grades that had been thrown up. To.
Qdy THESE IoetdS are es ittl u dS iiiie
and smooth as asphalt. What con-
trast to four years ago when during
the muddy spring an empty buggy was
a four horse load. There has been
more permanent work done on ths
roads since the new law went into eff
feet than in ten years before. In
stead of inexperienced gangs out with
scraper. hauling in a few loads and
fixing bad spot, now a gang under
a boss goes and builds road that Is
permanent, and when gravel Is
to be had some very fine roads have
been constructed. Even the farmers
themselves have come to acknowledge
that the roads are in better hands now
than under the old system.
GEORGE F. THAYER.