Mexico weekly ledger., 1911-11-02
DRAINAGE INTERVIEW
GIVEN LEDGER REPORTER
BY PROF. n. F. MILLER
(stan Correspondent
Columbla. Mo. Oct %.


Prof. n. +. Miller Of the Uniycrsi.
" Of Missouri Agricultural College
gave the following interview to a
Ledger representative concerning
tilage In Northeas, Missouri.
Considerable interest has been
shown recently in tho matter OF tito
drainage on tho Northeast Nilsson.
u pralres. The Experiment Station
has received a considerable mum.
Der OF inquiries regarding The matter
and a word as TO tho possibilities
and difficulties Of thing this land
might DO Of interest.
The difficulties in lling this
land are, first. the cost; second.
tho possibility that the rather i'm
pervious sub-soil of this region will
not allow the tiles TO work properly
As to the first, while tlling any land
is expensive, the return on land that
needs drainage and that viii drain
satisfactorily is always sufficient to
make the proposition a profitable one
where the tile is properly laid. The
returns soon pay for the tile and
laying while the increase in the val
us Of the land must also be con
sidered. AS TO the tightness Of the
subsoil on these pEsirles there is
no question, but where tiles are prop
erly put in, the probabilities are that
they will work successfully; not as
successfully as on land Of a some
what looser nature, but Indications
are that the tiles will work well
enough to pay good returns.
in 1907. the Experiment Station
began experiments in tile drainage
on these prairies near vandalia. A
ten-acre field on the typical level
prairie land was divided in the
middle, one-haI being tiled with
1 inch tile, 5 rods apart; the other
being left untitled. The two halves
have been farmed In exactly the
same manner since that time and
the Yields Of each kept separate.
The drained haH OF the field has
always yielded higher than the I'M
drained, and figuring the receipts
received at market prices for the
various crops, It has been worth dur.
ing the period approximately $50. A
large share Of this return came.
however. from a crop Of cowpeas.
FroFu tn. first year, T. which he
TIED land yielded 2 ~ tons more Of
eo~peas per acre than the untitled. 1t
must he said that cowpoas are pariic.
aiariy susceptible to wei land, and
That this was a We; season so that
'he results are sumewhat exaggerat.
This year, for instance, the. land
was again in eowpeas. and the in
crease from Thing was small. Thel
Ihcrease in corn which was grow on
this land In 1905 was 81 bu. per A.
while wheat and oats In the years
following were increased 81 and ISL
ou. respectively.
1t appears from these figures
nat tile draining viii be a paving
Imposition on this very level land
where a good outlet can be secured
Aear at hand, although there Is etiu
possibility that the tiles may silt
ID IN time. These tile were Ia;d AZ
N average depth of about Q feet.
ne actual depths varying from . IL
IL.
on a similar experiment field at
Monroe City started in 1895 where
Tile we're laid from IS inches 10
Get deep. or an average depth Of
II . in, the increase from thing
vas very little. This has probably
zen partially due to the fact that
Monroe City experiment As on
Ana Which Is not quite SO uniform in |
.EtaRy as that at vandalda. making i
ne test less satisfactory: also to +,
TACT That the land drains a lEale {
eo,er naturally than does the Van
ala land. T,
az ~
On the whole the Experiment sta.
,oh y no, yet ready TO recommend
ne aiiing Of This land unreservcdly. q
Ao'eauons arn tina, thing viii pay
n the very level lands where an cut.l'