The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-10-12
INDUSTRY THAT WOULD PAY.
Miles and Miles Of Ditching Is Being
Done in Blue Earth County
Each Year.
From Fridays Dali,

fact that a drain tile factory at Man
kato would prove a profitable invest
ment. and we are inclined to the belief
that if proper clay can be discovered
in this locality that it would not be out
of place to put in such a factory here.
The reason for these conclusions are APP
ton of tile drainage. A number of years
ago one Captain S. F. Alberger estab-
lished a tile factory at Mankato and it
proved failure but conditions have
changed remarkably since that time
captain Alberger was simply in advance
of the times, and it was impossible at
that day and date to convince the farm
er of the value of the drainage. That
difficulty is now passed, and with each
recurring year more tile draining is be-
ing done.
That the matter is no longer an eX-
pertinent is certain when one finds the
most progressive farmers annually put
ting in more of the tile Dr. Bishop was
in many ways the pioneer in the tile
drainage, and exhibited his faith in the
new methods when others were inclined
to look upon the work as rather vision.
ary The results obtained were satisfac-
tory to the doctor, and he continued the
work each year, increasing the value of
his farms. Others looked over the i'm
value. The result was they tried tile
drainage with good results.
Much of the work in this locality has
been put in under the supervision of
Joseph Hanna, who came to this local
ity few years ago from Michigan,
where the same work had been tried
with satisfaction and profit to those
who had taken it up. Last year Mr..
Hanna had all he could do and this year
he has been unable to take up with fully
one-fourth Of the work which has been
offered him. He has already laid nearly
eight miles of tile and has fully two
miles more which he hopes to get in be-
fore cold weather sets in, besides which
he has turned away something like
1000 rods. As an evidence that the
drainage has been fully accepted by our
farmers in manifested by the class of
men who are taking it up. r. b. Han
ma has put in ll2 rods, Elias Larson l02
rods. w. H. Davis 6l3 rods, Oscar Healy
$50 rods, George Lang 1877 rods, j. p.
Daily lis rods, Alfred Maurer 406 rods,
and others smaller amounts.
That the laying of tile has been of in
calculable benefit to the farms is plainly
to be seen, and a talk with any of those
who have put it in will bring about con-
vietion on the subject. Speaking with
w, H. Davis of his experience with tile
drainage, that gentleman said he would
not have it removed for double its cost
'Why," said he, "on ground where we
mudded in our grain crop this spring
wading in mud to our shoe tops, we
went in after the grain was up and laid
tile. and in less than two weeks the
grain had caught up with that on high
er ground. On other ground where no
crop has been raised in several years
being almost constantly covered with wa
ter, good crop was harvested, and it
was possible through the drainage to
run the threshing engine this fall where
another place on my farm we went in
less than two weeks after the tile was
laid and broke up the soil, and have
raised a crop of flax on land that has
been covered with water for the past
twenty years. Land where we have Sc
cured a crop of from three to five tons
of hay on which we will this season
secure from twelve to, fifteen bushels of
flax to the acre. A run through the
land, where the water after every rain
has, been from five to six inches deep has
been, practically dry the entire season
showing, that if ones lands are inclined
to be wet that tile drainage will bring
about the results desired.'' Other farm
ers interviewed told similar stories To
that related by Mr.. Davis. One gentle
man in. speaking of Alfred Mauer's farm
in Beauford. remarked that it was the
best drained farm in this section and
every foot of it cultiyable.
All the drainage, however, has not
been confined to tile, a large amount of
open ditch has been made. and more will
follow another year. Mr.. J. A. Beebee
OF winthrop, came into this locality
this spring with a large ditching ma
chine, and on every hand can be found
evidences of his work. In Decoria. Me-
do, Mcpherson. MapIeton and Danville
they have operated their machine, and
not having been able to interview the
gentleman we are unable to say how
many miles of ditch. lie has put in, but
it is safe to say that it will amount to
probably fifty miles and perhaps more.
This class of work will certainly have
rfc