The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-07-15
TWO DRAINAGE PROPOSITIONS
How ct Get Rid Of Water FlcW,n :
From the Uplan6s and How to
Ditch the Level Lands.

Messrs. Editors: This has been Il
wet year, and the harmful Effect of
standing or motionless water on the
surface or in the soil near the sur
face may be seen everywhere, es-
pecially in all the valley or bottom
| areas. The crops are "spotted"-that
is, small areas or spots have a good
crop, while adjoining are areas with
small, very poor and sometimes prac-
tically no crop. Motioness water, at
the surface, is the cause of a this
variation. One may see instances of
small areas that promise rs bushels
of corn to the acre and just by it
failure or a ten bushe crop.
Water should soak into the ground
and sink promptly at least two or
three feet beow the surface, or else
it should move on over the surface,
slowing to prevent washing, but it
should keep moving.
az 'oAANy vi VI oilSA DOblOIl
are injured in two ways by the run
off from the adjoining uplands.
When the guilies and bitches from
the hills reach the valley areas a low
ridge has often been made across
the valley by the washings brought
down from the hills and this low
ridge effectually prevents the natur-
al movement of the excess of water
down the valley, or in other words,
gives standing water on the surface
soil. These deposits in the valleys,
have done and are doing an immense
amount of harm. The harm they
do may be easily remedied with
plows and scrapers. Moreover the
run-off from the hills should be
kept in channels and not allowed to
run over the valley areas whereas
the Irregularities of the surface may
chance to direct.
To protect the valleys from the
upland run-off is simple proposition
and does not require the drainage.
Keep the water from the hills in prop
err channels and cut down or cut
through the low ridges made by the
wash from the uplands, and a large
part of the drainage of the VALLEY
is done.
From the rains that actually fall
on the valley areas there will pc a
surplus that must be properly con
trolled by tile drainage orr by sys-
tenn of broad, shallow water channels
that serve to keep the water moving
to the main bitches but do not inter-
fere with farm operations. Here
again We have team proposition
and not a spade proposition. Mar
row bitches made with spades are |
generally a nuisance, and have no
place on a farm. By using plows, |
scrapers and teams for doing the |
drainage referred to above, it may |
be done well, rapidly and at small
expense.
For farm use, whether the drain
age channels be large or small, it is
much better to have them very wide
at the top and narrow at the bottoms.
When made in this shape they |
handle the water better and it is as
easy to cross them as it is to cross
cotton rows or furrow made with |
a middle breaker. They last bet
ter and it not only costs less to make
them but the cost of maintaining
hem is less. 1t makes drainage a
natter for teams instead of men.
The productive power of the soil
s the principal source of wealth in
his state and to double this by in
drainage appears TO be a
rood proposition. The area lat may
,e so benefited amounts to milons
If acres. Let all surplus water
move on or descend into the soil
Inrii it is one, two, or free feet be-
ow the surface
w. L. HUTCHINSON,
Director Miss. Experiment Staten.