Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 16, 1917, Page 6

oR ie pe ~ Fal cee pecrtsen oes oenpscientind Mpuphomersrenmemereemarmmeocee pater h eater HOROUGH DRA aT ee ie Setar Speers FARM PRACTICE drainage on his land and find remedy for it—then he should plan drainage system to overcome the trouble cost of only $61.0 against $120.72] wettest and most difficult to handle, |furrow or stakes, it will save much per acre, paid for tillable land and in /and it Is necessary that be carried on during the wettest sea 20 does | sons. t all the benefits which |should base his calculations as to ime me to the farm from the In-|and methods on the worst conditic troduction of underdrainage. The dis-|To let a contract to the “lowest bid ce of the sloughs, and of the | der,” regardless of his experien: superfluous water in other places, per- | equipment, is often to invite serious | mits the-division of the land Into reg-| disappointment and loss. ‘4 By JOHN T. STEWART, C. E. Agri- cultural Engineer, University of Minnesota. T IS not an uncommon thing for a landowner to fight a drainage assess- ment, on land which has ® market value of from $20 to $30 per acre, and at almost the same time buy another tract of similar land, at the mar- ket price. His desire is to acquire more acres, under the false idea that his prosperity will be de noted by the amount of land In his Possession. He does not realize that one acre of thoroughly-drained land may bring him a greater income, with half the labor and expense of cultiva- tion, than two acres of the undrained land; or that it could be acquired at one-third to one-half the cost of the newly-bought acre. This extra land is purchased with the idea that land values will rise. As the real value of land 1s regulated by its improvements and productiveness, the landowner whose only object is to acquire more acres, rather than to improve the land already in his possession, is an “un- desirable citizen,” as he expects to be the gaiver through his neighbor's tm- provements. The idea ts popular, especially among the owners of wet lands, that the removal of surplus water by drain- age would be of great benefit to the state or community at large. While this is true to a certain extent, and while wet Innds belonging to the pub- the original purchase. But this added value of $68: not re have c appears ular, and therefore more ensily cul- Uvated fields. Such flelds, having now a uniform soll, can be cultivat less time, and crop rotations can be ar-| times a fallure to hay ranged to better advantage, than) plete at the time fixed means the loss where the Jand is broken up by non-/of a crop. In the drainage of swamp cultivable areas, A dry, loose soll can }iand, which cannot be plowed until | be worked more easily than a wet, /after the work is completed, it meuns | sticky soll. a delay of one or more years before | Furthermore, a field which tn some | the cultivation will be a paying invest- | seasons is productive, and in other8/ment. With scarcely an exception non-productive by reason of excessive cultivated areas for such as are dotted with sloughs, breeding frogs and mos- | job, completed “on time. quitoes and giving forth 1] odors from dead fish and decaying vegetation. It is a first step In good road-bullding, and, as © permanent improvement, it increases the value of all neighboring lands, and benefits the entire com- munity. All of these fenefits are tllustrated SOO feer OBTAINING TRUE GRADE LINE BY GRADE LATH METHOD. The line of sight is five feet above thegrade line and parallel to it. By set- ting the lath stakes at the sides and lining up the cross laths the grade may be fixed before the trench is dug. lic may be justly held chargeable with their share in the cost of improve- ments, the facts do not justify the in- ference that the state stiould pay it all, The correct idea, in raising funds for drainage works, is that the acre more directly benefited Is the acre to pay the expense. Many landowners will oppose a drainage improvement for the reason that the ditch will, in part, be located on thelr land. They will do this, even in the face of the fact that from one- fourth to three-fourths of their land, because it Is too wet, produces only about half of what it should, in the ordinary year. They actually prefer to stand the yearly loss of half a crop or more, rather than allow one-fiftieth to one-eightieth part of this wet land to be occupied by a ditch which would so thoroughly drain the whole tract that it could be cultivated up to the banks of the ditch. The benefits accruing from drainage are well illustrated in the tmprove- ment of a small farm, of 72.89 acres, recently purchased by the state of Min- nesota, Six hundred and fifteen dol- lars were spent in draining this farm. The land had been bought by the state Map of a Tile Drainage System Used in Wisconsin. for the specific purpose of cultiva- tion. The 72.89 acres cost $7,653.45, ‘Gut of this area there was used for highway purposes, four acres; non- productive land in sloughs, five acres; ten acres producing half a crop, equal fn non-producive land, to five acres; or 4 total of 14 non-tillable acres. This Jeft a tillable area of 59 acres, cost- ing the state $120.72 per acre. A sys- tem of underdraining was introduced, Dy which the five acres of non-produc- ‘tive land in sloughs, and the ten acres Which produced half a crop, are made sequal in productive qualities to the area of ‘the other tillable land. in the case of the state farm referred to; and ihe management feels that they fully justify the cost of the im- provement, without considering the value of the land reclaimed. The planning of a drainage system should be done with the same careful- ness that is bestowed on other im- provements, When a large building is to be constructed, an architect is con- sulted, plans are carefully drawn, all the details are looked into, and mate- rial Is selected which will be suitable for the location, the climate and the purpose for which the building should be use During its construction, in- spectors see that the details are car- ried out and the requirements of the Specifications enforced, regardless of the fact that the contractor may be losing money and cheaper matertats might be used. .But in drainage en- terprises, the evidences of such care are too often painfully lacking, even though the cost be as great or greater than that of a large building. In many cases an engineer is employed to stake out a drain on a route which has been selected only because it is “supposed to be” the best one. No examination is made for another route or outlet; the area of the watershed is not measured. As a result, the landowners, for not only is money in 1 in| vested in incomplete work, but often- | where losses have accrued to agricul- | moisture, may be more detrimental to | tural interests through the delay of a the farmer's success than swamp /year jn the construction of proposed land; for such lands are often plowed, | drainuge works, these losses have b: planted, cultivated. and then the crop) greater than the cost of the improve is destroyed by an influx of water; | ments. whereby not only are they made non-}two cents on the cuble yard for ditch- productive, but labor and seed are |ing, or on the rod for tile trenches, by lost. Drainage not only removes the} giving the Job to a poorly-equippec risk of such losses but improves the | man, often becomes an expensive pro- landscape by substituting brond, fully-| ceeding. Better pay more to a cc struction Consequently, the contractor Delays, especially, are expensive to the ditch com- ‘ THE CASPER DAILY TRIBUNE INAGE G@D Bee: The farmer should study conditions causing | poor ~ jing tiles. | tile are laid. These surface-drains as- time when it is desired to begin lay- Any drainege system should be planned with referen both to the werk it Is to perform ka to its future maintenance. Expense should not be spared in securing accurate data qn which to base the plan. It is well to maintain the shallow open-ditch system, in use before the sist in quickly clearing the land of water from heavy rains, in amounts for which it would not be economical to provide tile of sufficient size to do the work so quickly. In Minnesota, spring floods are often carried off by the surface drains be e the frost is out sufficiently to permit. tile-drains to work. Time spent in opening sur- The attempt to save one or s i petent man, ¢ re of u The kind, size and completeness of the drain: works needed in a given loenlity, the methods of doing the w | and adjusting the costs, must be de termined by the locv] conditions, What is good practice tu one place may not be practical in another. The char- ucter ‘of the ground, surface slopes, crops raised, and value of land, all have a bearing on the subject. in any locality the first consideration ts an outlet or channel by which the wa- ter may be carried awa In some localities nature has provided such an outlet, In others, it may be necessary for several landowners to band togeth- er and construct a channel, of suf- ficlent size and depth to serve as the main outlet of a network of ditches which will give relief during wet years. In many parts of the state, where such outlets naturally exist or are already completed, crops have suf- fered from an excess of water in the immediate vicinity, for the reason that the water from the cultivated fields could not readily escape. Consequent- ly, for complete drainage, it is neces- sary to have, on the individual farm, a thorough system for collecting the water as it falls and carrying it to the main outlet. Unless the ground is very flat, the location of proposed drains can be best determined when the ground is free from vegetable growths. A heavy growth of crops or weeds may cause low places to look high and high places low. A fleld freshly plowed or sown | is in the best condition for locating lines of drainage. If such a fiéld is examined immediately after a heavy rain, there will be little danger of | making a mistake In locating the lines. : ‘ { : | Fee r ee cen eee JP. --- ae | x A FARM PROFITABLY TILED. | On this 80-acre field three systems of | tile drainage were necessary. This shows the advantage with which two neighbors can co-operate in putting in a line of tile. An obstacle so trivial as a line fence should not be permitted to prevent economical drainage. The owner of this land says that tile pays for itself every year and that $200 expended on tile has raised the value of the 80 acres $1,000. face-drains is not, therefore, lost, even when it is intended to later introduce an uncerdrainage system. The individual farmer with small means should first select the area the | tiling of which will drain the most jland at the least expense. In a rolling country, where sufficient fall can be had for outlets near the surface, or without expensive open ditches, small tiles can be used around the sides of drainage areas outletting on a hillside or at the edge of aslough. This method often improves large tracts at small cost, and as the improved lands increase in productiveness, funds will be supplied by which the tile lines can be extended, connected, and the |expensive mains finally put in. This method has been used in many of the best tiled countries. In some instances it has been twenty years from the lay- ing of the first laterals to the comple- tion of the last main. Immediately after construction, pro- j} vision should be made for annual | }maintenance. A drainage improve |ment, properly carried out and main- tained, will add its initial cost to the value of the land and pay a dividend If these are at once marked out by a size of the ditch is determined by a mere guess. Time may develop the fact that the best route was not se- lected, and that the ditch was too large or too small, and consequently does not perform the work satisfactorily. A ditch, being improperly located, either does not drain all the land it should or it is expensive to construct and maintain. One that Is too large will not clean itself properly; while one that Is too smal) will not carry re- quired volume of water. A drainage system, open or under- ground, works by gravity, and that it may remove the water there must be a sufficient fall; that is, a sufficient and continuous descent, from a level somewhat lower than the lowest point on the land to be drained. to the point where the water is discharged from the outlet. It is a common practice to start a drainage ditch from a slough at practically the same depth as the bottom of the slough. Such “drain- age” will not give satisfaction, as the ground-water will not be lowered, and the bed of the slough will continue to be swampy. For satisfactory drain- age, the water-channel must be deep enough in the lowest land, and of suf- ficient breadth and depth, to carry the water without an overflow. Ditch-construction, like carpentry or masonry, is a business In itself; and for satisfactory results, contracts should be let in similar manner. The bidder’s competence, as, shown in his record in connection with similar un- dertakings, should be taken {nto con- sideration as well as the size of his bid. Ditches are usually dug in soil the DIAGRAM OF A BEAVER AN EXPERT WORKER Little Animal Excels Lumber Jacks Tree-Fellers and Is a Prize Dam Builder. “The most expert lumber Jack ts in- ferior to the beaver as a tree-feller. He cuts down trees in the most scientific way. He can fell a tree so it will fall toward the pond where he wishes to construct his home, thus saying him- self unnecessary work. “After the trees are felled the con- struction work begins. He works chief- ty by night, for he is a nocturnal prow- ler, The moon is his lantern, the quiet of the night his inspiration, his sharp teeth are his hatchet and chisel, and his little paws are his means of conveyance, his spade, his hammer ani his trowel. His hard, flat, hatrless and scaly tail Is a propeller when swimming and a balance when he is cutting timber, for he stands on his hind legs while gnawing down trees, “The beaver is a strict vegetarian and his diet consists chiefly of barks, tender shoots and water plants. The trees which furnish the bark he most likes are the cottonwood, poplar, elm, willow, birch, aspen and boxelder. ‘The bark of the oak, ash and hickory he does not eat. “To flood low ground, the beavers sometimes have to bulld a dam ex- ceeding 50 feet in length. They usual- ly lay it out with the curve facing up-stream. The foundation is built of on the original investment. 80 Reos———________J | LINE OF LEVELS. poles, four or five feet long by an inch or two thick. These they lay | placing the hay crop in sheds and tates the removal of the water by er. WIRE FENCING USED FOR SEED-CORN RACKS, (Prepared by ead Wiel ee Depart-| tent to prevent further heating and ment of Agriculture. >rmet , . Whether the stover is shredded or love th deeraeemie: wet pee not, it is of great importance that it | stored before being placed upon the be well stored and not left long ex market. This state of affairs, whichl posed to the weather. results from allowing the corn to re The mistake is sometimes made of main wet during winter and necess}- barns and leaving the corn stover in pensive meaus, keeps the price of cora| shocks in the field. The reverse iS} ower than it would be if the corn better, inasmuch as most kinds of hay] were allowed to dry in the fields an will not depreciate so rapidly in feed- were kept dry until placed upon the ing value and will keep better in! market. Grain buyers would pay stacks and ricks than corn stover. Un-| petter price if the general supply of less placed under cover stover should | corn reached them in a condition that be fed in the fall and early winter.) would insure its preservation without] If left exposed until February or] drying and the resulting shrinkage. March it has little feeding value. ] In addition to affording thorough In the principal corn-producing! ventilation to the stored grain and pr states the autumns are usually dry, tection from driving rains, cribs and corn fodder dries thoroughly in| should be constructed in such a map the shocks and is shredded and stored | ner that they can be filled and emptied in barns or feed sheds with little dan-| with the least possible labor. For lev: ger of heating or molding. The fod-| ¢ ground double cribs with an el der should not be wet when shredded | vated driveway and approaches that and stored, but damp days are prefer-| will enable the loads to be drive able for doing the hauling and shred-| through the cribs and dumped og ding because the blades are more pli- scooped out of the wagons without au able and the fodder is therefore han- high pitching are very satisfactory. died with less waste. But in some Protection From Insects. sections, especially in’ northern states, In sections where insects are ¢ where the corn is full of sap when cut, structive to stored grain, cleanliness and where damp fall weather prevails, | o¢ value in preventing injury from thit much care is necessary in storing corn source, Small quantities of grai fodder or stover to prevent heating} should not be left in the cribs durin and molding. In such localities it} the summer, as they tend to har! should be placed under cover in ricks| these pests. Where insects are d not more than 6 or 8 feet in thickness, | structive to the stored grain, it is or, if shredded, layers of dry straw good practice to dispose of the enti several inches deep should alternate crop as early as possible and cle: with layers of the shredded stover. | the cribs thoroughly, so that there a The depth of the layers of stover can left few hiding places and no food vary from several inches to a foot cr carry the insects through the summe! more, according to its dryness when|jn ‘southern localities, where stored. The dry straw will take UD | weather is warm enough to peru some of the moisture from the stover these pests to work throughout the eg and prevent heating. tire year, it is best to construct ti Storing the Grain. cribs so that they can be made praq There was a time in the history of | tically air-tight and then to treat th the corn-producing belt when rail pens | crop with some insecticide such as were about the only available means |bon bisulphide, If this plan were thog of storing the corn crop. Much to the] oughly carried out the corn wee could be practically exterminated. As a protection against rats, ml and sparrows, galvanized wire cil are coming into use, Wire netting about one-fourth inch mesh can al be successfully used in the coustrs tion of frame corncribs. This wip netting can be tacked to the inside the uprights of the crib, and the strij which constitute the sides of the can also be nailed on the inside of uprights, thus holding the wire nett in place. As a floor, which should 18 inches or more from the ground as not to afford a hiding place { rats, the wire netting can be tach to the sleepers and the flooring pail over to hold the wire in place. f overhead protection the wire net is simply tacked to the joists. If cribs are built upon solid © crete foundations through which cannot burrow no netting will i h v crosswise, filling all crevices with mud. “The beaver digs up mud with his fore feet, then holds It close to his breast with his fore legs, swims to where he has started his dam, and, having deposited it in its proper place, beats the mud down with his paw: not with his tail as has been believed.” —St. Nicholas. Comparison. “Dr. Isaiah B. Scott, Methodist bish- op of Africa,” said a Methodist divine, “collected in Monrovia a great deal of valuable ethnologica: matter. “Talking about cannibalism one day, needed, for the floor and the st ture can be kept near the “ With ample roof projection and uP ventilation no danger from damp? need be feared. Shrinkage. The shrinkage that will take P in the crib of corn from the time is cribbed in the fall until it Is § varies so greatly in accordance the amount of moisture the core discredit of some cor= growers this | t#!ns when placed in the crib, ep method of storing is still in vogue, the ventilation of the crib, that even in sections where good means of | !™Possible to state a percentase. storing could be afforded at little ex-| Shrinkage that will apply with Bunched Kernels in Hill. ft Bishop Scott declared: **Your cannibal is not wicked. He eats other people as you and I go to church--in order to improve himself— for he has been teught that he will ac quire the virtues—the bravery, beauty, wisdom and what not—of all those whom he eats.” Bishop Scott chuckled. “A savage cannibal,” he ended, “is a saintly chap alongside of a civilized backbiter.’” Too Severe, Doctor—Your husband needs some good exercise to restore him. Mrs. X—Like playing golf? Doctor—More violent than that. Mrs. X—I have it! I'll send him down to make a few purchases at the bargain counter during the rush houra. Pense. It is no uncommon sight to| tainty to any particular crib of see rail pen after rail pen filled with | Co". Various tests show that dv ears of corn and without any cover, | the first year the shrinkage {0 cri) exposed to all the rains and snows of | CCT “pproximates"15 per cent for winter, and these in sections of the| {rst year and 20 per cent for country that produce the most corn | Years. and are consequently most interested in higher-priced corn. This corn re-| KEEP COCKS FROM PU! mains in apparently good condition during the cold weather and is usually placed upon the market in early spring. Filled with water, it Is not long after it is loaded into box cars or vessels until it heats and spoils. The installation of elevators where suck corn can be kiln dried has been brought about by this poor manner of Storing the corn crop. There is a general prejudice against kiln-dried corn, resulting from the fact that kiln drying was first employed and is at present employed to a very large ex- fo) Pr rel the Hens Will Do Better If Males Dl: Kept Away—Make Better D ee ment and Lay Earlier. tie Unless the eggs are to be ust the hatching purposes, it will be Weg sci house the pullets without #0y ‘the laying earlier, will lay better, 204 make better development that are being constantly nagged by husky male mates.