The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-04-14
SURFACE Or AiNAcE.
How . Farmer May Study Condition
#@ and Secure Better Results
from His Crops. .

from His Crops. 5@'
On an average, about One-fOurth OF
the rainfall passes of the surface with
out entering the soil. This surplus wa
ter becomes an important factor in tue
farm management. Allowed to collect
as it PUSHES down the slopes, 1t is liable
to cut the soil and carry away the best
portions. and on the flats it may remain
SO long that it will suffocate the crops.
In trying to avoid these results every
farmer becomes an engineer, and his
success with crops in certain locations
depends in no small degree upon his
skill in controlling the water. ."..-
In former times, before the practice
of undertakings was carried to the sue
cess that it now is, much dependence
was placed upon surface-ditches, and
flat lands were regularly plowed and
cultivated in "land-beds." They were
plowed the same way every time, and
it was common thing to see the ele-
waited lands foot or two higher than
the water-furrows between. Under:
drains cannot altogether do away with
the usefulness of these land-beds p. on
fiat clay lands, as in times Of heavy
rainfall the water cannot reach the
drains fast enough, and the level soil
will puddle and subsequently bake.
Surface drains are frequently useful
auxiliaries to the underdrains to carry
of the surplus water quickly. AS SUBJ.
stitute for covered bitches, bold sys-
tenn of land-beds will frequently help
matters on fiat meadows. The lands"
may be made not over eight or ten yards
wide, and the middle burrows cleaned
out after cultivation is finished.
On no crop is it SO important to guard
against stagnant water on the surface
as winter wheat. On such spots it is
very apt to winter-kill. In blowing fiat
land the dead burrows should be left
water off from the "sags" and the level
stretches. If the surface is somewhat
uniform, it may be plowed in lands"
lying in the direction of the drainage,
each middle furrow then acting as a
surface drain. When the surface is
not uniform Il may be expedient. to
pillow in two systems. so that the dead
burrows of each shall favorably drain
either section. In addition to plow-
ing in lands, it may be sometimes neces-
sary to strike few burrows with the
pillow after the crop is planted. have
seen this simple expedient do effective
service on fiat piece of ground. 1t
is necessary to clear the burrows with a
shovel where they may be clogged by
the imperfect action of the pillow or at in
tersections:
With the use of grain drills and other
wheeled machinery water burrows arc
avoided as much as possible, but there
remain many situations where they are
of the greatest use. While their OPP
Grafton is superficial, they are of great
help in removing the surplus water in
times Of heavy rainfall. The idea is
to get the water off the crops before
it does damage. With hillside fields the,
reverse Of this policy holds. There
the object is to retard the flow of wa
ter SO that it will not furrow and
gully the land. Terracing is simply
surface drainage to prevent washing on
hillsides.
1t is bad practice to plow sloping
land up and down the slope if it can be
avoided. When washy hillsides are
plowed at all they should be plowed
deeply, SO that the loose earth may alb
sorb large portion of the surplus wa
ter. Then the crop, if it is one that is !,
to- be cultivated, should have the rows :
rather across the slope than with it,
says Farm and Fireside. Then each row !
as it is cultivated becomes a miniature
terrace to carry the water gently along
to some depression, where it accumu-
lates in a stream, and rushes down TO
the lowlands. These depressiOns should
always be left in grass or sod to pre-
vent outlying. The surface water from
the uplands, when disposed there so
as to do no damage. very frequently
causes trouble in the adjoining iowlands.
where it spreads out to drown land
already oversupplied. The evident REM
edy here is to cut surface ditch to in
tercept the water and carry it out of
The way.