LEROYPENNYSAVER&NEWS -MAY 15, 2016
TileDrain
byLynneBelluscio
The little pinkflags in thefield
east ofmyhouse indicatedwhere
the ditcher would be digging
trenches for theperforatedplastic
drain tile. When completed, the
field would drain west toward
a ditch. The exact location and
pitchof the tile is critical inorder
to completely drain the field. It
should alleviate the sittingwater
in thespringandmake it easier to
get into thefield insoggyweather.
After the tile isput in the trench,
everything is covered up and the
field can be plowed and planted.
The importance of proper drain-
age isunderstoodby farmers, but
most people haven’t a clue about
drain tiles.
Many years ago, when I was
researching thehistoryofagricul-
tural fairs for developing the Ag
FairatGeneseeCountryMuseum,
I came across the story of drain
tilesandJohnJohnsonofGeneva
and Imetamost remarkableman,
Marion “Mike”Weaver.
In1964Mikewroteabook: the
“HistoryofDrainTile”and luck-
ily I have a copy. Mike also had
a large collection of drain tiles. I
remember asking Mike to bring
some of his tiles for an exhibit
during one of the early ag fairs
at Genesee Country. He pulled
up in a anold stationwagon, that
was filled with heavy tiles, and
the springs were about flattened
out. Therewere few peoplewho
appreciated what they saw that
year and several years laterMike
donatedhisentirecollection to the
GenevaHistorical Society.
The collection is now part of
the John Johnson Farm adjacent
to historic Rose Hill Mansion.
This is where, in 1838, the first
fields were trenched and tiled in
the United States. John Johnson
was from Scotland where tiles
were used to drain fields. On his
farm inGeneva, he dug 72miles
of drainage ditches and laid clay
tileon320acres.According tohis
recordshewasable to increasehis
wheat yield from 12 bushels an
acre to 60 bushels. John Johnson
LeRoyHistorical Society
Chicken 'nRibs
Sunday,May 22nd
onTrigonPark, LeRoy
11:00 amTil SoldOut!
BBQ 1/2CHICKEN - $10.00 • BBQ 1/4CHICKEN&RIBS - $12.00
RIBSONLY - $15.00
• w/salt potatoes & cole slaw, roll, cookies
Carry Out Only
"DriveThrough" OnTrigon Park
5/22
THECHICKEN
&RIBS
SELLOUT EARLY!!
Prepared
By
PhilTooze
is known as the “father of tile
drainage inAmerica.”
Farmersknew the importanceof
drawingwater away from fields.
Both Cato in 200 BC and Pliny
in thefirst centuryAD, described
drainage systems.Sometimes the
trenches were filled with rocks
and covered with larger rocks.
Therewerealldifferent shapesof
drain tiles.The important story in
WesternNewYork is tied inwith
theErieCanal.
Pottery and potters, such as
nearbyMorganville, weremanu-
facturing redwarepotterybecause
thatwas the typeofclay thatcould
be found locally. Redware glazes
werefilledwith lead and redware
was fired at a low temperature
andwassoft.Once theErieCanal
opened, potterswere able to ship
clay in from the Midwest and
could fire grey stoneware which
was harder and not as porous.
This put the redware potters out
ofbusiness,butwith the introduc-
tion of drain tiles, many redware
potters switched to drain tile
production. (It isbelieved that the
pottery inMorganvillemadedrain
tile.)Special tilemakingmachines
were shipped in fromEurope.
At the1862meetingof theNew
York State Agricultural Society
there was a lot of discussion
about tile drainage. Mr. Brooks
ofWyomingCounty didn’t have
muchgood to sayabout drainage
tiles. He said that the investment
per acre could never be justified.
He declared that draining was
the“stupidburyingof crockery.”
However,Mr. Peters of Genesee
County stated that he believed
that a system of drainage would
increase state production by a
third.Henoted thatwaterstood in
postholesup tomidsummer. He
alsonoted that inundrainedfields,
it seemed that the frostwouldkill
crops earlier in the fall.
L.H.Bailey, Dean of Agricul-
ture at Cornell University wrote
a poem:
TileDrain
Far under the ground
Asmenpass by
Unseen and alone
I silently lie
When the plow team tramps
On the full crunching earth
I feel the hard thrust
Of thefirst harvest birth;
But the plowman thinks not
That I lie downbelow
And tireless prepare
For the harvest togrow.
Calm and content
I secretly lie
And carrymywork
Asmenpass by,
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