The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-15
LAYING DRAIN TILE REQUIRES
Skill. AND JUDGMENT

placed properly and the outlet well
taken care of at all times, may be
expected TO last more than the or
binary life Of man. We know it to be
true in our own and in many other
sections in which we are acquainted,
mat more than sixty per cent of all
tie drains placed upon the farms are
not laid in good condition, and are
not doing the service they should.
we nave, III h past ten years, done
Il very great amount of such work,
much of it upon our own land. and
this line of work thai is worthy of
discussion.
We have one drain of sixty rods
that is not giving Us the service it
should, and with the opening of
spring we shall take this drain up en-
tlrely, and replace it in better cOndi-
ion. The outlet is at fault, being
shallow in depth and does not take
the water away rapidly, thus causing
much sediment to collect III the tiles
disabling their capacity.
Last season we helped a neighbor IN
Just such q job, and in places these
tiles were within one inch Of being
filled with solid earth washed into
them from time to time. This drain
had been laid over twenty-five years
and the tiles were just as good as
new.
The bottom work is the main thing
- SS1tiAiT . oooN tiNtS' "i.o IL w
We're not certain we could do q good
job in this line we should not hesitate
II minute to employ a man who Is
thoroughly experienced in this work.
When the proper grade IS deter
mined and bottom III shape. the tile
is easiy laid, but not every one can
lay it properly.
We have at times worked with men
who would tread over the tops Of
the tiles in laying them, stamping and
pounding as though their life depend
ed upon Il, and III the end have q
crooked, and uneven line Of tiles.
which Il wa doubtful. whether water
would ever find its way through.
The man hat gets into the ditch,
walking backward easily, and careful
" laying each tile into place, fitting
the ends we'll TO each other, Is the
man who can be depended upon to
get q good working drain.
Many make q mistake in laying tile
with a chink broken out at one END,
chink downward. thinking it Is un-
necessary to patch the hole. What
will happen A sly old craWfish starts
some day at the mouth OF the drain
and crawling up into the drain finds
this hole just where he wants 1t IL
the bottom of the drain. He sets tt
work to make q crawfiSii hole, p!'!ns
I'D q mound of clay III the dram
which makes an obstacle for sediinen
70 catch upon and in a snort time ~
drain becomes useless. Had tho holi
been patched with a larger piece 0
tile on top OF the drain course thi
would not have occurred.
Much better still not to use thes'
tiles if badly chinked.
When we come to 3 boulder, II !
be not too large, we bring it to III
top and haul away upon n ston'
boat. However, some are too large t.
bring to the top, SO we dig benlnt
them and somewhat deeper and roi
them over with a good crowbar, thu
getting them below piow depth. ant
out OF the way Of the drain.
We never lay q tile drain arounf
q stump, root or boulder, but have
the course as straight as possible.
!, A small flat stone fits nicely at tn
end OF the drain when finished, keep
out trash and crawfish, and We always
stick such fiat pieces away III som
nook In the fence as they are plcket
up over the fields III cultiyatng, tnef
we have them on hand when needed