The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1921-08-04
gresssd.

uD Win DlChs Dihhil uuduAiNiSh
sluiced were found to sluice out
without difficulty but when an ex-
tended amount was encountered, the
larger particles settled to the bottom
and It was necessary to loosen this
material up again and to throw
some OF the larger pieces out by
hand. Some OF the worst hard-pan
layers we're removed with a pick and
shovel without the aid OF the water.
Whenever II was possible to break
the hard-pan up into small pieces
IL sluiced out without difficulty.
Costs
The 676 feet OF the ditch which
Is now completed and which aver
ages 1 1 feet in depth required 353h "
hours OF man labor 209h hours OF
horse labor. or the equivalent OF one
man working 353h hours and one
horse working 209h hours. This
includes also the labor required for
the fresno work for 200 feet in ad-
dition to the amount which is now
completed and all the work on the
outlet. etc. the cost OF which will
ultimately be distributed over sever
al hundred more feet OF drain. Fig
urlng man labor at 35 cents per
hour and horse labor at 12ih cents
per hour. the cost OF digging the
drain would be about $4,000.
Charging all the labor TO date 10
the G76 feet now completed, the
cost per foot OF drain would be
fraction over 20 cents. and the cost
per yard OF dirt removed would be
approximately II cents This, OF
course, includes the fresno work
and the pick and shovel work as
we'll as the actual sluicing. The
cost OF sluicing where no hard-pan
was encountered and the dirt wash
cd easily. was approximately, Q
cents per yard.
Horse Drawn Tools
A plow was used with some sue
cess In losening the dirt for sluic-
ing but for the short ditch that
was made II was found not practlc-
able TO go TO the expense OF rig
ging up to give this method a
thorough trial. Il showed consid-
cradle promise, however, and would
probably work best in a large ditch
and for the first few feet.
A cultiyator. with the handles set
close together was used with mark
ed success. This tool was used for
taking out the last dirt after the
ditch was practically completed and
In the half day II was used the
loose dirt was sluiced from the en-
tire length OF the drain and cut
OF about 6 inches was made In adj
dition. The handles were set close
together 80 that II could be handled
In the bottom oL the ditch without
difficulty and Il was fastened by
means OF 20 foot cable TO the
center OF a couple OF two-by-fours.
eighteen feet long, which extended
across the ditch. A horse was
hitched TO each end OF the inpro-
yised double-tree to haul the eulti-
vatdif II was only possible to haul
the cultlvator down stream for Il
could not be held In place when go
Ing up stream.
There Is need for some sort OF a
TOOL which will work without hay-
Ing anyone In the ditch 10 guide II
Tor while the soil on the Burrelle
ranch was such that a man could
work in the ditch without danger
here are a great many places where
his would not be the case. Mr..
Percy Purvis. who lives near Vale, !
has developed a tool, patterned after |
, threshing machine cylinder, but
with specially prepared tooth which |,
s designed to meet this requirement,
Il is expected that this tool viii al
80 be successful In breaking up the
lard-pan in small enough pieces
hat It viii sluice successfully, Mr..
Purvis has not tried II out suffi-
,iently to report definitely on this
DOL as yet.
While enough work has not been
lone along this line to warrant
general recommendation and there
ire undoubtedly great many places
where 1t will not prove successful,
he work so far done indicates that
where a good head OF water is avail
.ble. there Is sufficient fall (12 TO
I5 feet per mile, or oyer) and the
'oil conditions are right, this sys-
.em OF building drainage bitches
will save a great deal OF money,