Show PROBLEM OF DRAINAGE of the utmost importance in irrigation country farmer should hire engineer who Is capable of making necessary survey and who knows how to lay out good system hy R E U B MUSE colorado agricultural college co lleo the drainage of lands Is ot of groat great importance por tanco ae Is the subject of irrigation itself we apply water to the soil boll and call it irrigating wo we spread it over the ground and see it sink oink from eight we seo see crops grow and forgot forget all about tile the excess water wo we apply this water however Is not lost and in later years will return to bless us or curse us as the case may be and it usually comes in the form of a curso rather than a blessing what la is there that detracts moro more from the appearance of a prosperous farming community as ve nye drive along the tha country roads roada and look at the magnificent crops than to see hero here and there large tracts of barren waste covered with white alkali so BO common in this state producing absolutely nothing and all on account of it a high water table perhaps this ground used to be as productive as any in the community but in later years farmers have found it impossible to raise anything upon it they have finally aban boned it and there it lies worthless worth lus to the farmer and worthless to the community at large why this state of affairs it Is due as stated before to the high water table or in other words to tho the tact that the underground water has risen until it la Is within a few feet of tho the surface capillary action Is then set up and excessive quantities of water work from the water table to the surface of the ground and there evaporate leaving behind tho the elements that they carry in solution these salts form the alkali which we see on the surface of the ground can this land be reclaimed and can it ever bo be made first class tanning farming land tha answer to this question la Is yes it may bo be reclaimed in a number of ways but the only permanent way Is to thoroughly drain the tract the laying out and installation of a drain la Is not the simplest problem I 1 in n the world and la Is too often attempted by men who know nothing about it my ally advice to fo the farmer is to hire some engineer who Is capable of making the necessary survey and who knows how tollay to lay out a drain system have him not only set act the necessary grade stakes but supervise the laying ot of the drain many drains have tailed failed beranse of improper installation chere mire bre of different diffor ont dirt in t tile non on the market and to lo say t 0 one no ak i good and another Is worthier would be not only unfair but un all of the burned clay tiles it if properly made will last fairly well and make a suitable pipe for this kind of work wooden boxes also have a long life but I 1 believe it Is a mistake to place in the trench open bottomed wooden boxes unless the full la Is ample to give a good velocity to the water they clog more readily than do tho tile pipe and animals are continually digging into them when water Is not bof ni running nning and them up to a greater or less degree with dirt water is becer beca W 3 extremely valuable in eastern CL C arado and in many instances land may be drai drained ried tho the outlet of the drain being so eo placed that the discharge enters some loriga tiomi canal and after filing upon the same the 0 owner arler may sell it to or rent it profitably this has been done in a number of cases near fort colllns collins in some cases tile the flow has been sufficient to pay for the installation of tho the entire drainage system drain water makes good late water as the flow usually assally continues well into the fall and when water in the ditches becomes low the seepage water entering the drain Is a maximum hence the value the drainage of lands should be considered whenever irrigation Is as contemplated tem plated because if the subsoil of the community does not of 0 itself form a natural drain it Is only a question of time when the underground water will be so increased in volume that tho the water table will reach the surface in the many lo 10 low w spots tile the worst alkali and seeped tracts that could be found in the country have bave been experiment ed upon and reclaimed in such a r mart ner that luxuriant crops have beer been grown upon them while surrounding them on all sides was a barren alkali waste A drainage system properly installed may bo be counted upon to do the work |