6
Drainage of White Lands
By Prof. W. L. Powers, Department of Agronomy, Oregon
Agricultural College.
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rE greatest problem connected with
the drainage of oar so-called white
lands and other lands of similar
textnre, aside from securing a com
inanity outlet ditch, is that of making
title "draw," or reeeWe the water
from the surrounding soil and carry it
sf f .
The typical white land . surface soil
Is of a fine ashy colored silt day with
a largo percentage of potential plant
food. Underneath at a depth of 10 to
tO jnches there is a ehange to an im
pervious, sticky blue day, spotted with
Iron rust. The blue day stratum runs
from 8 to 18 inehes thiek, and bolow
that the soil shades off into yellow
silt day sub-soils. The water table re
mains dose to the surface over this
blue clay stratum until Juae, delay
ing cultivation and growth.
A careful soil and ground water sur
vey of any of these flat areas will
show that only part of the soil in
the area is typical white land. A see
end, 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 anger or post
hole auger, making a thorough study
f the subsoil and the soil water conili
tions. Beginning at the outlet frequent
borings should be made to a dopth of
at least four feet. This will reveal the
Brains Applied To Farming
By E. M. Rutledge.
1 1 fl FTEB all, home life is the
main point," said Harrey W.
Currin, a 1909 graduate of the
Oregon Agricultural College, who is a
firm believer In judiciously double
tropping 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 O. A. C. payt" To which
he replied, as follows:
"Upon graduation I accepted a posi
tion as foreman of a Bogne River orch
ard at a monthly wage of $50, and was
laised to $75 within, six months. Nino
HOME AND FARM
location and extent of any impervi
ous stratum and also the more free
working strata from which water will
feed into th.? auger holes or into a tile
drain most readily. Any seepage water
can be traced to its source by the
auger method and a tile line located
so as to intercept the seepage water.
In draining saucor-like areas with re
tentive sub-Boil it is best to put
laterals over or under or around these
stieky sub-strata, and, for the most
part, cut off outside water before it
gets on to such strata. This leaves only
the excess rainfall of the area to be
handled and greatly simplifies the
problem.
How Drains Should be Placed.
In order to drain the bulk of the
root zone for ordinary field crops
quickly, the lateral tile drains should
not be placed far into a retentive sub
stratum, even though the main drains
may need to- go into or bdow this
layer. For field crops on white land
23 to 36 inehes 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 plaeed up the draws will
give sufficiently thorough drainage for
ordinary fiold crops to pay a fair re
turn on the investment. The water is
taken into tiles more easily before it
gets out of this loam soil to the white
land.
months later I was plaeed in charge of s
2,100 acre hay, grain and fruit farm
near Drain, Oregon, at a salary of $1,200
a year. At the end of six months my
salary was advanced to $1,500 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 cows,
hogs, chickens and turkeys.
"This'ls a point worthy of considera
tion in chocking an occupation. Other
vocations pay as much as this for the
same skill, knowledge and work, but
often the items of rent, water, fuel 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 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 he has perfected a system
of handling teams which is exceedingly
interesting and suecenstul. When' em
ploying a man by the day, he pays him
$3. If the man has a team he pays him
i
' Hi
. ...... K4-.siji
Both Currin,
(2.25 for his own labor and a turn for
his horses determined by their site. For
the average size horse he pays (1 a day;
for a medium heavy horse he pays an
extra 12c, and ' for a heavy horse he
pays (1.25 a day. He has found that
three big horses at a cost of $3.75 will
do the work of four ordinary horses at
a eoat of $4. This is a small item but
when multiplied by many teams quick
ly counts np. It not saves 25 cents, but
also saves on feed and housing expense,
for three lare 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 ehange 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
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to get interested. Gradually the
changed their 0rain planting from spring
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Today veryfew farmers in this neigb
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and raises the standard of agriculture
in a whole community.
Beforo entering the Oregon Agricul
tural College, Mr. Currin lived on his
father's farm in Clackamas County,
near Kernsville. Work was no new
thing to him, and this experience was
necessary, for be had to be 50 per cent
self-supporting during his "ollege year.
After graduating he married a domestic
science graduate of O. A. C. Today he
hits a home, an excellent position, a 12-
acre prune orchard of his own, and en
joys a high standing in bis community.
He also is a director in the Drain
cannery. Did his agricultural education
payf
THE STORY OF
A STUDENT
No. 4.
Re graduated with honors and the
BEHNKE-WALKEB BUSINESS COL
LEOB promptly obtained a position
(or him In a firit class firm.
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BUSINESS COLLEOE did tor him,
It can do for you.
BUSINESS COLLEGE
Portland, Oregon. -I.
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