6
Drainage of White Lands
By Prof. W. L. Powers, Department of Agronomy, Oregon
Agricultural College.
BiSw. BBS5 I
rE greatest problem connected with
the drainage of our so-called white
lands and other lands of similar
texture, aside from securing com
munity outlet ditch, is that of making
title "draw," or receive the water
from the surrounding soil and carry it
off.
The typical white land surface soil
is of a fine ashy colored silt day with
large percentage of potential plant
food. Underneath at a depth of 10 to
SO inches there is a change to an im
pervious, sticky bine clay, spotted with
iron rust. The blue clay stratum runs
from 6 to IS inches thick, and below
that the soil shades off into yellow
lilt clay sub-soils. The water table re
mains close to the surface over this
blue clay stratum until June, delay
ing cultivation and growth.
A careful soil and ground water sur
vey of any of these flat areas will
how' that only part of the (oil in
the area is typical white land. A sec
ond portion is near white land, or in
termediate between white land and
brown silt loam, while a third portion
is slightly undulating brown silt loam
that has fair natural drainage.
Location of Under Drains.
When it has been determined that
an outlet for the farm drains is avail
able, the next step is to go over the
wet areas with a soil auger or post
hole auger, making a thorough study
of the subsoil and the soil water condi
tions. Beginning at the outlet frequent
borings should be made to a depth of
at least four feet. This will reveal the
Brains Applied To Farming
By R. M. Rutledge.
IS a FTEB all, home life is the
main point," said Harvey W.
Currin, a 1909 graduate of the
Oregon Agricultural College, who is a
firm believer in judiciously double
cropping his orchard, as is shown in the
accompanying photograph of his baby,
eighteen months old. His hearty out
door laugh greeted the question, "Did
your agricultural education and the four
years spent at 0. A. 0. payt" To which
he replied as follows:
"Upon graduation I accepted a posi
tion as foreman of a Eogue Kiver orch
ard at a monthly wage of $50, and was
taised to $75 within six months. Nine
ITOME AND FARM
location and extent of any impervi
ous stratum and also the more free
working strata from which water will
feed into the auger holes or into a tile
drain most readily. Any seepage water
can be traced to its souree by the
auger method and a tile line located
bo as to intercept the seepage water.
In draining saucer-like areas with re
tentive sub-soil it is best to nut
laterals over or under or around these
sticky sub-strata, and, for the most
part, cut off outside water before it
gets on to such strata. This leaves only
tne excess rainfall of the area to be
handled and ercatly simplifies the
problem.
How Drains Should be Placed.
In order to drain the bulk of the
root rone for ordinary field crops
quiekly, the lateral tile drains Bhould
not be plaeed far into a retentive sub
stratum, even though the main drains
may need to go into or below this
layer. For field crops on white land
23 to 36 inches is a good average depth
for laterals and 42 inches for main
drains. For good thorough drainage of
typical white land flats the laterals
will need to be as frequent as about
every two rods, for the intermediate
type of soil about every four rods;
while for the brown silt loam a few
strings of tile placed up the draws will
give sufficiently thorough drainage for
ordinary field crops to pay a fair re
turn on the investment. The water is
taken into tiles moro easily before it
gets out of this loam soil to the white
land.
months later I was placed in charge of a
2,100-aere bay, grain and fruit farm
near Drain, Oregon, at a salary of $1,200
a year. At the end of six months my
salary was advaneed to $1,G00 a year.
In addition to the salary, we are fur
nished a home with water, telephone and
office supplies, a horse and buggy and
their upkeep, fruits and berries, garden,
pastures and buildings for our eows,
hogs, chickens and turkeys.
"This is a point worthy of considera
tion in chocking an occupation. Other
vocations pay as imich as this for the
samo skill, knowledge and work, but
often the items of rent, water, iuel and
MAGAZINE SECTION"
other living expenses tike several hun
dred dollars from the salary. This is a
very desirable position and I attribute
my rise from $600 to $1,500 within 20
months to the college training. A col
lege course puts a man on horseback in
the race for success and makes his work
easier, more interesting and more profit
able." Since being graduated Mr. Currin has
been taught much by practical experi
ence that he could not have gained in
any other way. Among other things of
great value be has perfected a system
of handling teams which is exceedingly
interesting and successful. When em
ploying a man by the day, he pays him
$2. If the man has a team he pays him
Ruth Currin.
$2.25 for his own labor and a sum for
his horses determined by their size. For
the average size horse he pays $1 a day;
for a medium heavy horse he pays an
extra 12c, and fof a heavy horse he
pays $1.25 a day. He has found that
three big horses at a eost of $3.75 will
do the work of four ordinary horses at
a eost of $4. This is a small item but
when multiplied by many teams quick
ly counts up. It not saves 25 cents, but
also saves on feed and housing expense,
for three larje horses will not eat so
much or require so much stall room as
four ordinary horses. This is brains
applied to farming.
Through his influence on the com
munity this farm-college bred man has
developed a change in the system of
farming in his community. His orch
ard required extra team work in the
spring, but when Mr. Currin first came
in 1910 every farmer in his vicinity had
his hands full putting in his spring
crops. Quick advertising among the
towns from Portland to Ashland brought
outside teams. Seeing so much money
go past them, the local farmers began
Get the Facts
Erery young man and woman in the North
west, who thinks of business at a career,
hould tend for osr free booklet "The Step
ping Stone to Sneeeu." Get the facts about
the
QENTRAL
Commercial
UJJollege
The mot modern methods of Infraction
and the beat teachers obtainable, both In
ability and experience.
Efficiency the watchword In modern bolt
iei ii the watchword In thii aehool. Rapid
progress combined with thoronghneu. In a
nutshell-crar courses are as short as anj
good courses can be and completing a eoorse
guarantees getting a position. Writ today
to a K. CARLTON, Principal.
CENTRAL BUILDINO
Portland Oregon
iHllll
' .. - - i . . . ;.
Gillespie School of Expression
VOCAL, PHYSICAL AND ESTHETIC CULTURE
LITERATURE, WITH ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETIVE RENDERING
RHETORIC, ORATORY AND DRAMATIC ART
A STUDENTS' CLUB FOR DRILL IN EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
DEBATE AND PARLIAMENTARY LAW
CONTINUOUS FORENOON CLASSES
INDIVIDUAL WORK AFTERNOON AND EVENINGS
A PUBLIC CLASS EVERY MONDAY EVENING
Fall Term Opens October 13, 1914
Individual Work Begins September .
EMMA WILSON GILLESPIE, Principal,
(34 Morrison Street Phones Main 5034, A-4S78. Portland, Oregon.
to get Interested. Gradually they
changed their uTain planting from spring
to fall, until now the supply of local
teams for spring work is more than
sufficient.
Today very few farmers in this neigb
borhood sow grain in the spring. This
allows them to work on other crops in
the spring, provides a more uniform dis
tribution of work, permits the farmer
to work more days in the year with a
consequent increase in the year 's salary,
and raises the standard of agriculture
in a whole community.
Before entering the Oregon Agricul
tural College, Mr. Currin lived on his
father's farm in Clackamas County,
near Kcrnsvillo. Work was no new
thing to him, and this experience was
necessary, for he had to be 50 per cent
self-supporting during his college year.
After graduating he married a domostie
science graduate of O. A. C. Today he
has a home, an excellent position, a 12-
acre prune orchard of his own, and en
joys a high standing in his community.
He also is a director in the Drain
cannery. Did his agricultural education
pay!
THE STORY OF
A STUDENT
No. 4.
He graduated with honors and the
BEHNKE WALKEE BUSINESS COL
LEOB promptly obtained a position
for him in a first class firm.
What the BEHNKE WALKER
BUSINESS COLLEGE did for him,
It can do for you.
BUSINESS COLLEGE
Portland, Oregon.
I. M. WALKER, Pres.
Write o. No trouble to answer.
We help yoa not only to get the edn
eatfon. but a good position.
TDE LIFE CAREER
"BchooHag la youth should Inrarlnbty be
directed to prepare a person in the best way
for the best permanent occupation for which
he is capable.'' President C. w. Kliot
This Is the Mission of the
Forty-sixth School Year Opens
SEPTEHBER 18th, 1914
Write for Illustrated loo-page Book
let, "The Life Career," and for Cita
log containing full Information.
Dtgrtt Courses AGRICULTURE I
Agronomy, Animal Husbandry.DalryHuv
bandry, Poultry Husbandry, Hortkulturs.
Agriculture for Teachers. FORESTRY,
LOGGING ENGINEERING. HOAE ECO
NOMICS: Domestic Science, Domestic Art,
ENGINEERING: Electrical, Irrigation,
Highway, Mechanical, Chemical, Mining.
Ceramics, COMMERCE. PHARMACY.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS.
Vocational Co-Agrlculture, Dairy
ing, Home Makers' Course, Industrial
Arts, Forestry, Business Short Course.
School of JlfusicPliLno. String, Band,
Voles Culture.
Farmers Business Course by Mail Free.
Address TUB XROISTRAR,
(rw-T-18 to t-t) Conrallls. nregsa
University of Oregon
Thirty-Ninth Tear
New Buildings New Equipment
Additions to Faculty
Liberal Arts Journalism
and Sciences Law
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and Finance Teaching
Medicine Graduate School
For Catalogue and Literature
Bend Postcard to Registrar,
Eugene, Oregon.