. The American farmer. A hand-book of agriculture for the farm and garden ... Agriculture. 62 farmer's hand-book. over the drain, after it has been filled up, so as to form a slight ridge ovei it. This will soon sink to a level with the surface. To save the expense of stone or tiles, d/.ains are frequently made six inches wide at the bottom; a narrow channel is cut in the solid clay, two or three inches wide and six deep (a), leaving a shoulder on each side to support a sod, which is cut so as to fit the drain, and rest on the shoulder (b) ; this sod keeps the earth from filling the channel. I
. The American farmer. A hand-book of agriculture for the farm and garden ... Agriculture. 62 farmer's hand-book. over the drain, after it has been filled up, so as to form a slight ridge ovei it. This will soon sink to a level with the surface. To save the expense of stone or tiles, d/.ains are frequently made six inches wide at the bottom; a narrow channel is cut in the solid clay, two or three inches wide and six deep (a), leaving a shoulder on each side to support a sod, which is cut so as to fit the drain, and rest on the shoulder (b) ; this sod keeps the earth from filling the channel. It is filled up as previously described. Where the clay is not sufficiently tenacious, the bottom of the drain is sometimes cut with a sharp angle, and a twisted rope of straw is thrust into it. This keeps the earth from falling in, and the running of the water keeps the channel open ; the straw, not being exposed to the air, remains a long time without decaying. It is a common mistake to suppose that in these drains water enters from above ; — it rises from below. Varieties of Drains. — The different sorts of drains in use may be classed in two divisions, — drains of conveyance alone, and drains of conveyance and collection jointly. In the former, all that is necessary is a channel or passage for the water, of sufficient dimensions, which may be formed by pipes of different kinds, arched or barrel drains, and box or walled drains. We pive cuts of these, as follows: Fig. 8. Irrigating. — Watering poor land, especially of a gravelly nature, is one among the many useful means resorted to by intelligent fanners to improve it and make it fit for cultivation. Land, when once improved by irrigation, is put into a durable state of fertility, and becomes so productive as to yield a large bulk of hay, and the after-math is also valuable. In favor- able situations, it produces very early grass, which, on that account, is doubly valuable. The main object of irrigation in tropi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
