The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-03-31

F1d. 1A-CONEk1Nd THE TILE DITCH.
allow the water to filter down out of
reach instead Of retaining it for fu-
ture use, is do the clay soils.
The farmer cannot influence the
amount of rainfall, Of course. After
the rain has fallen, however, it be-
longs to him to do with as he sees fit.
The way he handles it from this time
on determines to a large extent the
size Of the crop he will harvest when
fall comes.
The first problem is to get rid Of the
surplus ground water quickly, and the
second is to waste as little Of the cap
Hilary water as possible. An endeavor
should be made to lower the water
table to three or four feet below the
surface as soon Is possible after each
rain. If this can be accomplished in
two or three days the growth Of the
crop will be interfered with very lit
tie. A few soils are so we'll drained
naturally that little artificial drainage
IS necessary. On almost any farm
there are hills and ridges where the
natural drainage is sufficient. The
hollows between these elevations, how
ever, and all the fiat fields will yield
much larger crops If tiled.
The distance a line Of tile will draw"
is in sandy soils often as far as 100
feet on each side, while in heavy clay
soils II may not be more than sixteen
feet. This distance is also affected by
the depth Of the tile. The deeper they
are placed the farther they will draw.
Tile are usually placed at an average
depth of about three feet, though in
many instances four would be better.
The extra cost Of digging the ditch a
foot deeper is something of an objec-
ton, but is balanced by the fact that
the lines Of tile do not need to be as
close together. Deep tile are not as
easily displaced by freezing. and a
deeper feeding ground for the roots is
provided.
\ mistake made more frequently
than that Of not putting the drains in
deep enough is that of using too small
tile. The character Of the soil, the fall
and the amount of surface drained are
the factors which largely determine
the proper size to use. Almost every
book or bulletin Of tile drainage gives
tables for figuring the size Of tile re-
CURED under various conditions. If
there is any doubt 1t always pays to
get a size too large rather than q size
too small, even if the cost is a little
more.
1t is usually better to let the job of
thing to a contractor rather than to at
tempt to do it yourself. There are re-
liable tilers in almost every locality
who can be depended upon to lay the
tile to grade and do a first class job in
every particular. Only the hard burn
ed tile should be used. These will last
for a lifetime or longer If properly put
In. When tile go within fifteen or
twenty feet Of trees the joints should
be cemented. Otherwise the tree roots
will find their way through the joints
and fill up the drains to such an extent
that the flow of water will be cut off.
The most important part Of a drain
age system is the outlet. The tile
should empty into a stream II possible.
Water should not be allowed to stand
over the mouth of the outlet If it can
be avoided, as this checks the current
and causes the drain to partly fill up
with silt, thus reducing its capacity
just that much.
With a thorough system Of tile drain
age in good working order the problem
of getting rid of surplus water is
solved. Thing also helps to solve the
problem Of lack Of water. The roots
down so much deeper in a tiled
soil that they are in position to with
a drought better than if they
We're a foot OF two farther above the
water table. Removing the surplus
water by drainage also hastens the
warming of the soil in tho spring.