The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-22
TILE DRAINAGE OF LAND.

Since the days of Roman agriculture
even before the dawn of the Christian
era, the drainage of land by means Of
removing water through closed instead
of open bitches has received attention
from writer's on agricultural topics
throughout all the centuries during
that period. On this subject, Cato, in
the second century before the Christian
era, wrote:
In the wtntor it is necessary that
the water be let off from the fields
ON declivity it is necessary 10 have
many drains. When the first of the
autumn is rainy there is the greatest
danger from water; when II begins TO
rain the whole of the servants ought
to go out with sarcles. and other iron
tools, open the drains, turn the water
into the channels and take care Of
the corn fields. that 1t flow from
them. Wherever the water stagnates
amongst tlc growing corn, or in
other parts OF the corn fields, or in the
bitches. or where there is everything
that obstructs it's passage, that should
the water let away.
At the time in which this writer
lived, covered drains were merely
trenches, these being filled with stones
OF gravel, or, in some cases, n rope of
twigs tied together and fitted in the
bottom, after which the drains were
filled with earth. Although little prog
ress was made in the art of drainage
until about two centuries ago, yet since
that time great advancement has been
made, this advancement having 10 do
principally with material used in con-
ductiug water from a soil. Not only
has there been revolution in the shane
Of the conduit from the old horseshoe
shape of tile TO the circular form. but
radical changes have been made in tho
direction of improving the character of
the material used At present there is
but little tile on the market that has
not been burned so hard as TO practi.
caliy last forever, or at least for several
generations. This being true, il is sin.
gular that there is SO much reluctance
on the part Of men to make tho much.
needed Improvement Of tiling out at
least part OF their land, The heavy loss
that has been sustained by the farmers
Of the corn belt during the last two
years OH account of excessive moisture
is stimulating men 70 action in the mat.
ter of tile drainage. II is true that
there are Instances where profitable
crops were not grown even on tiled
land. but in such cases the size Of the
tile had not been sufficiently large TO
remove the water fast enough This
seems 10 bc the principal mistake made
III draining land The operation is au
expensive one in any event. aud rousc
queutly large tiles are put in with some
degree Of reluctance. Mom who have
been most successful i'm cropping their
land after tiliug it freely recommend
the use of large tile in main drains. so
that liberals may be added from time ia
time when this seems necessary. The
demand for tbrce-inch tile is becoming
less every year, the claim being freely
made that the four-inch is none too
large even for lateral drains. Where
these arc over 1000 feet long. il is
usually advisable TO use five.incb file
for part of the line, beginning at the
main II IL claimed by one writer that
a six-inch tile will remove the water
from sixty acres.