292 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAU 



is sufficiently wide for a horse to walk in, let one or two be hitched 

 before it, ad tandem, or one before the other. The bottom of a 

 ditch is a very difficult place for a horse to walk in ; consequently 

 a man should steady him, walking by his side, with one hand 

 hold of the back-band to keep him balanced, or in a narrow 

 ditch a horse will lose his balance so often, by hitting his legs and 

 feet against the sides of the ditch, that he will fall over sideways 

 so frequently, he will become afraid to move. A horse cannot 

 walk in a channel which is barely wide enough for a man to 

 walk in. 



GRADING THE BOTTOM OP A DITCH. 



403. Any one can work at ditching until he comes to the bottom; 

 but not one ditcher in fifty, that I have ever seen, knows how to 

 grade the bottom correctly, or dig it across the bottom in the 

 most correct form. The bottom of a ditch, from the outlet to the 

 head, should be of a straight uniform grade all the way. The 

 bottom should not be level for a few rods, and then ascend a few 

 rods, and then be of a water level for a number of rods farther, 

 and then ascend, and so on to the head of it, as they are usually 

 dug. The idea is, to have the bottom of such an inclination that 

 water will flow at the same velocity through every part of the 



bolted to one side of the beam of the plow. The arrangement is such, that the plow will 

 cut a ditch six, eight, ten, or twelve inches wide. Instead of being drawn by a chain or 

 clevis attached to the end of the beam, it is drawn by a tongue, the end of which is 

 fastened to the upper side of the beam, near the middle of it, and plays up and down in a 

 tongue guide, which is bolted to the end of the beam. The handles are adjustable, to 

 enable the man who holds it to walk nearly erect, even when the plow is in a ditch two 

 feet deep. 



The advantages of this plow over others are, it will run more steadily with a tongue 

 than without a tongue. With two standards and two points, a ditch is easily kept of a 

 uniform width, without any difficulty ; and with two points a vast amount of labor in 

 dressing off the sides of a ditch is saved ; and the corners of the bottom are dug out much 

 better than they can be with an ordinary plow ; and by having the team hitched to a 

 tongue, the plowman can prevent the plow from running too deep in soft places ; and he 

 will be able to lift it from a ditch much easier than he can without a tongue. Every part 

 is made strong and durable ; and the plow is a valuable improvement. It will work well 

 where any other ditching plow will work, and will always do better work than one having 

 but one standard. 



