The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-08-08
Drainage
By p. c. CLARK
Class of '0S, Department OF
Agriculture, Was h ngton
State College. -----

are beginning TO realize more and more
the necessity for UNDER drainage fol
large portions OF land that have sub
irrigation. This brings UP the question
of suitable material for the construc-
ton of drains and it is n common ten
dency to choose some cheap material
such as brush, poles, planks and
stone, with the idea that 1t will b.
less expensive But it has been proven
by practical demonstration that tn,
cheapest material for a drain Is TIL
ing. To prove the truth of this state
ment 1t will be necessary to describe
a few other forms
The cheapest material used in drain
age construction is brush. This is
placed In the bottom of the ditch to q
depth of n foot. This in turn is COW
cred with straw or shavings to proven;
the washing in of dirt from above
The earth which is used to fill the re-
mander of the ditch is rounded up t.
prevent settling. This drain cannot
help prove unsatisfactory as there is
no clear passage for the water and it
soon becomes clogged up. Again. the
brush soon decays and is rendered
useless brush drain is out of the
question for Yakima valley owing TO
the light soil to be found here. The
only place this form is possible is in
clay soil. and even under the most
favorable circumstances It Is short
lived, lasting for eight to ten years.
Poles are often use for drainage
construction and prove to be better
than brush. for they afford an open
course for the water Three poles are
used in it's construction, one on each
side and the third on top. Cedar is
the most common wood used. In one
respect It is but little better than the
brush drain. inasmuch as 1t lasts but
twelve TO fifteen years.
The box drain is also popular and
Is made from boards or planks in
various forms from triangular to
square Owing to the close fitting of
the planks provision should be made
In its construction for the entrance of
water. A convenient way is to make
the joints at the bottom somewhat
open by setting short sections of lath
between the edges which come to-
gether The box drain should have a
corner down in order to allow a small
flow Of water to be deep enough to
carry off the silt They are better
than the brush or pole drains, but are
still Objectionable because of their ex.
pense and lack of durability.
Excellent drains may be made from
stone providing they are of suitable
size and shape, but owing to their ir-
regularity it is impossible to con-
struct drain that will keep out the
sand and silt. Again, they cost more
than tile drains, even though the stone
be found upon the field to be drained,
because it takes moi y labor for their
construction. They a \ not satlsfac-
tory because they are in constant dan
ger of filing UP due to the many
cracks Such drains are more lasting
in clay soils.
We now come to the only kind Of
material that is practical for Yakima
valley and that is thing. The light
soil here shuts out all possibility Of
using anything else. A tile drain af-
fords n more uniform conduit for the
water than any other form. thereby
Iessening the liability of obstruction
Closer Joints can be made with tile
which will shut out the fine earth.
Further than dis they are durable
There are in use Mt present about
five different forms of tiles, but ow-
ing to lack az space only the two most
common win be considered, namely
the round and the six-sided. These
are or the market in various sizes, the
size being designated by the diameter
OF the bore. The ordinary range Is
from two inches to a foot in diameter
The length Of each tile is little over
foot, but owing to the number of
imperfect ones and to the breakage 1t
is the safest to estimate a tile to the
foot when ordering.
The round tile has the advantage
over the other forms inasmuch as II
can BE laid rapidly and at the same
time turned into any position to make
a close-htting Joint. The durability
OF tile IS governed by the way In
which are burned. That which Is
under-burned is soft and likely to
orumble TO test them strike each
with the hammer. and IL It gives forth
n dull sound It Is under-burned, but on
the other hand, If 1t is in the proper
condition = viii give forth a sharp.
ringing sound Too much care cannot
be used in selecting the tile to form
the drain, as one imperfect section
may render the whole system useless.
Glazed tile is the most durable. as 1t
81 less effected by the agencies which
tend to cause disintegration.
Careful plans should be made before
the real work OF construction begins.
First select the outlet, second, the ex-
act location OF each main to be put in;
third. the direction which each drain
is to take. and fourth, the grade OF
each.
It viii take much careful study to
work out the above and # the work is
extensive the services Of an engineer
will be necessary. Where the area IS
small, however and the land has con-
siderable slope the engineer may be
dispensed with
The outlet is the point where the
under-dra IS % discharge its water
It is the point to start from in laying
the drain. This outlet should lie free
from distractions ard al the same time
have a sufficient depth to discharge
the water freely. II this discharged
water is allowed TO rise higher than
the opening OF the outlet the drain