310 



through the holes in the box, into the calibre of the drain. 

 Chink it well with small stones, so that mice cannot haul in dirt 

 and stop the passage. Now, let the box be well staked to keep 

 it in its place. The box should be the widest at the bottom so 

 that the frost will not lift it. In lieu of stakes, if a man has 

 an abundance of plank, it would be better to allow the ends of 

 the side plank to extend into each bank, above and below the 

 main box. On each side of the box the earth should be kept 

 shovelled away, so that cattle when drinking may stand as low as 

 the surface of the water is in the box. In times of high water, 

 such watering places will be overflowed ; but if there are enough 

 holes in the lower end of the box, the drain will never be injured 

 by the water. 



429. The object of having the box sunk deeper than the cali 

 bre of the drain is, to allow all gravel and dirt that may be 

 washed out to lodge in the sink, so that it can be shovelled out 

 when the water is low. The gully should be so wide across the 

 ditch that cattle can go down and drink, and turn around and 

 come up again, without difficulty. By having the earth exca 

 vated on each side of the box so that they can go down and 

 drink, if a small animal should get cornered by a large one, it 

 may jump over the box and escape on the other side. Such 

 watering-places should be examined very often, and cleaned out, 

 if necessary, as cattle are very liable to drop their excrement in 

 and about the pools where they are accustomed to drink. 



DITCHES OR OPEN DRAINS. 



430. "When there is a stream of water so large that it would 

 be too expensive to have it run in an underdrain, it is necessary 

 to have open drains. These can be made with a plow and 

 scraper very much cheaper than they can be excavated with 

 spades and shovels. Open drains should be made so wide that 

 the banks will not be continually caving in ; and so deep that 

 where the water from underdrains flows into them it may flow 

 freely. The banks of an open drain should slopo not less than at 



