The farm-yard club of Jotham: . ten below the reach ofany ditching. Thelevel of the water maybe governed by theoutlet. In its naturalcondition, the wateris usually almost ashigh as the level ofthe land. This levelof the water may bereduced in propor-tion to the fall whichcan be provided atthe outlet by digging,— seldom more thantwo or three feet be-low the surface of thesoil. If, therefore, by a proper arrangement of open ditches and a sufficient outlet, thewater is caught as it flows from the hillsides and is conductedaway from the swamp, you will have just as many feet in depthof a porous, p
The farm-yard club of Jotham: . ten below the reach ofany ditching. Thelevel of the water maybe governed by theoutlet. In its naturalcondition, the wateris usually almost ashigh as the level ofthe land. This levelof the water may bereduced in propor-tion to the fall whichcan be provided atthe outlet by digging,— seldom more thantwo or three feet be-low the surface of thesoil. If, therefore, by a proper arrangement of open ditches and a sufficient outlet, thewater is caught as it flows from the hillsides and is conductedaway from the swamp, you will have just as many feet in depthof a porous, peaty soil as you have reduced the level of thewater; no more, perhaps less, on account of the settling of theswamp as the water is drawn off. This soil, composing islands,so to speak, between the open ditches in which the water stands,never loses its porosity ; and it usually requires some applicationof gravel or sand or loam upon its surface, to bring it into con-dition for cultivation. It has no surface water, and it has no. DRAIN-TILE. 164 THE FARM-YARD CLUB OF JOTHAM. subsoil that has been reached. It is in reahty agricuhure afloat,a;xl it must remain afloat so long as the reservoir of water beneathit is supplied and not emptied. I do not think tiles or blinddrains in any form are applicable to such land ; for 1 considera firm subsoil as almost indispensable to the proper use of tiles,nut only on account of the solid basis upon which they oughtto lie, but on account of their capacity for discharging have found many a stone drain sunk in the swamps on myfarm, carrying down many a dollar with them. If such spotsare to be drained at all, let it be done as the Venetians drainedthe lagunes upon which they built their city,—by canals andnot by sewers. I am frequently told that the purchase of tiles is an un-necessary expense, inasmuch as nature has provided most ofour farmers with materials for draining close at hand, in thestones of their fields, and that they can be
Size: 1601px × 1561px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
