The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-17

remove the surface water, but nothing
more. II will net do away with the
swampy conditions nor render the
land suitable for agriculture. Tae
drainage must be deeper. The bot
tom Of the ditch must he kept down
SO that the ground water cannot pos
sibiy rise TO within several feet OF the
surface of the land 10 be drained.
This is one OF the most useful sug-
geslions that | can make to you.
Drain deep, Try TO lower and TO
hold the ground water four feet be-
low the surface OF your land. Certain
ci0ps, such as the grasses, may
flourish with a shailower drainage.
but on the whole anything less than
Two and a half or three feet will prove
unsatisfactory and four feet is bet
ter.
Ii is not a.: all uncommon to find
owners digging up and rep.aclng lines
OF tile which they themselves may
have laid at-some- prexiops Tina
These owners have found their carrier
work has defective in certain parti-
culars. The pipe may have been too
small, laid on too tiat a grade or too
near the surface, or the work may
have been done in q siipshod man
ner which resulted in distractions
forming in the pipe and stopping the
flow. have known of pipe lines
being taken up and replaced two
or three times before finally giving
satisfaction. Such experiments are
costly and few men can afford to un-
dertake reclamation work in that
way.
The simplest form of farm drain
age Is by means of open bitches. 1t
Is less in it's first cost. and the far
mer Ia often able to do the work
unaided by others. The method has
these disadvantages. however: There
is loss Of land to the extent Of the
area occupied by the bitches and
usually for a number OF feet on each
side OF them. No matter how regu-
larry bitches may be laid out, the
mere fact that they exist, subdividiny
lands into small parcels. means inter
ference and Inconvenience in the cul-
tication of the land, and there Is the
item OF building and keeping up
numerous small farm bridges. vege-
iation grows in the ditch with great
vigor. and unless this Ia removed and
the channels in other respects kent
free and clear, their efficiency as land
drains will be impaired or perhaps
totally destroyed. There is, then, a
considerable item OF expense charge
abio to maintenance in the open ditch
system.
The most satisfactory method of
removing excess water from land Ia
by under-drainage. Most commonly
tile pipe Is used for this purpose.
though second quality virtrified sewer
pipe. especially for the larger sizes.
Is coming more and more into use.
This method is more costly than
the open ditch system, but IL Is more
effective; there Is no less Of land. cul-
tivation is not interfered with and
where the work Is done In thorough
and workmaniike manner, II becomes
permanent improvement and lasts
for many years with little or no ex-
penditure for repairs or mainten-
ance.
r The sizes, depths grades and spac-
ing OF laterals are all matters which
must be studied with different pro-
jects. Do not use the very small sizes
Of pipe, that is from two to two and
a half inches in diameter Those
who are getting the best results are
using little pipe less than three or
four inches in diameter The depth
will of course vary with the contour
OF the ground, but under average con-
dit!ons of soil about three to four feet
should be the depth with perhaps
four to five feet as a maxium In very
close soils where to go deeper the
water might not readily get to the
pipe. AS to grade OF tile lines. 1t
usually happens that we need all the
fall 1t Is possible to get. Lines have
been laid with as little fau as a half
inch per one hundred feet and even
level. Cases have been found where
through faulty leveling there were
considerable stretches with the down
grade in the wrong direction, that is
against the flow.
Any such practices as these, how
ever, are not TO be recommended, and
the greater slope or fall. within GER
tain limits, the better will be the ac-
ton OF the drain. The smaller sized
pipes cannot be laid on as fiat grades
as the larger ones with their deeper
how, and for we'll understood reasons.
The spacing of the laterals may be
anywhere from twenty-five to three
hundred feet, depending upon whether
| the soils are close and impervious
like clay or open and loose like a
| sandy or gravelly soil Moreover
| frequently lands requiring drainage
have soils of the close type and
should have the laterals spaced from
| thirty-fiye to one hundred feet apart
| This State in common with many
others has extensive areas which by
| reason OF their wet condition are I'M
| fit for profitable agriculture or even
| for human nbodes. You cannot In
| vite settlers to come and make their
homes In such localities, to i've amids,
| swampy conditions.
| What Is the remedy Extensive
| and thorough land drainage is the
/ only relief. Nothing else can ever
make these sections contented and
| prosperous.
| We hear so often the slogan
| back to the farm 1t Is undeniabie
| that the great manufacturing and
| commercial cities Of the country have
| been recruited quite largely from the
| farm. The best brain and Drawn OF
the nation have been facinated by the
| giarnor and attraction OF the city
and have been enlisted in their up
| building.
The evil. If evil It be. Is correcting
| itself
With the newer conceptions OF
| agriculture. with the improvements
| and multiplication In farm machinery
! whereby much of the drudgery ID re.
f, moved, with the advent into the coun-
| try. of the telephone and the automo.
| bile, with the establishment of rura
| free delivery. combined with the as.
| surance that all farm products viii
| corr mand a high price | nthe large
/ cities. l am convinced that the tide
in some measure has turned.
! The cause OF agriculture Is now
nized ability, and more and more
d. n n xkxS