In developing the lowlands for farm purposes—and such lands are now
most valuable—immense sums are being invested in concrete drain tile.
Where drain tile empty into an open ditch, the banks of the ditch
around the drain tile gradually wash away, and often two and three
lengths of tile become disjointed, allowing the water from them to
further cut away the field land. These exposed tile are often crushed
by livestock. Moreover, clay and shale tile freeze, crumble, and mixed
with the earth from the bank frequently close the outlet. Muskrats,
skunks and mink use the tile as a nesting place, and the drain becomes
stopped up and drowns out the crops.
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All of this trouble is prevented by a small outlay of time and money in
building a concrete retaining wall to keep the end of the drain tile
from washing out and to protect it.
Choose the dry season of the year, immediately after the laying or
cleaning of the string of tile, when little water is in the ditch.
Dig a trench 12 inches wide along the edge of the open ditch 2 feet
below its bottom and under the end of the line of tile. This trench
should extend along the bank for from 4 to 6 feet, with wings turned
into the bank at its ends, sufficiently long to prevent water from
getting in behind the wall and washing the dirt out.
Mix concrete 1: 2½: 5—wet enough to tamp well.
Fill the trench with concrete up to the ground level. Should the trench
be full of water, place this part of the concrete dry.
Set box forms, made of 1-inch siding and 2 by 4-inch studding. These
forms must be high enough to bring the wall up to the level of the top
of the ditch banks. At the proper height to meet the string of tile,
place a first-class drain tile (at least one size larger than the
regular string) through the forms so that the front end will be flush
with the outside wall after concrete is placed.
Bore two small holes in the forms above this tile, and place in them
well greased pegs of wood. After the forms are filled with concrete,
these pegs are removed, the holes receiving the bolts holding a flap
gate to keep animals out of the line of tile. Fill the forms with
concrete, and smooth off the top of wall with a steel trowel.
Remove the forms after one week, and fill in earth behind the wall to
its top.
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