Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1909-05-20
EXPERIMENTS ON DRAINED
AND UNDRA|NED LAND
MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE ON FIELDS IN
THE VICINITY OF VANDALIA
AND SHOWS PREFERENCE TO
DRAINED LANDS.


terested in the results thus far Sc
cured on the drainage experiment
field established by the State Ag-
ricuHurai Experiment Station in the
vicinity of vandalia. The tile was
not laid in sufficient time to plow
Of the preparation of the land for
corn the first year as the field was
in sod and could not be broken ear
ly enough. It was, therefore, put
in cowpeas instead, partly because
these could be planted late and part
ly because it was desired to get the
effect of growing these cowpeas upon
the soil. M
The total yield of cowpeas on the
five acres Of drained land was S2l0
pounds and 1640 pounds per acre OF
fairly clean hay. On the s acres Of
undrained land the yield was 5000
pounds or GOO pounds per acre and
the hay was at least half wild wet
land grass. This is an increase in
the yield of cowpea hay Of 17S per
cent.
1t will be remembered that tne
season of 1907 was quite wet at the
early part of the summer and since
cowpeas are not adapted to vet lands
there is doubtless some exaggeration
CT the benefit which would occur on
other seasons. The results are so
striking, however, as to leave no doub
as to the benefit Of underdralnage.
In 1908 this land was put to corn.
The season was one Of large rain
i fall early in the growing period but
rather light rain fall late In the
summer, The results show an in
crease of So bushels of corn and 2O2o
pounds of fodder per acre In favor or
drained land. This increase while not
SO striking as that from the cowpeas,
| Is very satisfactory and there seems
little doubt from the result OF this
experiment thus far that the proper
tiling of this land especially where
1t is as level as that on which these
experiments are being conducted will
be of sufficient value to pay good re-
turns. There have been complaints
from farmers in prairie lands that
have been underdrained to the effect,
that the tile finally fill up although IL
is quite probable that where this has
occurred it has been due to the lack
of care in laying the tile. judgment
is, of course, withheld regarding this
matter until a number of years result
can be secured. 1t is quite probable
that on land which drains better nat
urally than this particular piece the
, benefit would not be so striking.
Experiments with fertilizers ant
. manure treatments are also being
, carried on this field, the drained
, and undrained plots being exact dupi
q Gates of each other as to theatment
a but the results of these experiment.
> have not reached a stage to warran
n any general conclusions as to th'
value of the various treatments.
= has been shown, however, tina
cowpeas sown between the rows o
corn at the last plowing will produc
a very large amount of highly nutri
tious feed which can be fed off al
ter the corn is picked.
These experiments also ndicat
that the use of some form of phoi
phate like bone meal or rock phoi
! phate will be valuable on this lane
4 Lime has given slight benefit, a
, though 1t is doubtful whether 1t wi
pay renumerative returns after til
land is drained; 1t is the wet Ian
in that usually responds to lime.
a The field has been put in oats IL
Sc the coming season.
n The experiment is being made
is the Dept of Agriculture at G
nd lumbia, and this is the report of
es f. Miller.