THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 311 



an angle of forty -five degrees. Accordingly, when a ditch is cut 

 thirty inches deep, and is ten inches wide on the bottom, it should 

 be forty inches wide at the top. 



431. In localities where the water flows with such a rapid cur 

 rent as to wash out deep gullies in a short period of time, the 

 bottom and sides of open drains should be paved or flagged with 

 small stones. The sides need not be paved more than one-third 

 or half way to the top of the banks according to the amount of 

 water that usually flows in it. In places where water flows only 

 a part of the season, in order to prevent it from forming gullies, 

 the bottom and sides of open drains should be scratched over 

 with an iron-toothed rake, and grass seed red-top seed is best 

 sown on them in the fore part of summer, in order to form a sod. 

 But where the water seldom or never dries up, the bottom and 

 sides must be paved, or simply covered with flat stones. The 

 gutters along some highways, where flood-water is apt to form 

 gullies, should be smoothed off, and grass seed sown to form a 

 sod ; or, they should be paved or flagged with small flat stones. 



PILLING DITCHES WITH WOOD. 



432. I would never advocate the practice of filling ditches with 

 wood, in any form, where stone of suitable sizes or tile can be 

 readily obtained. But where timber is cheap, and stone and tile 

 scarce, it is infinitely better to fill them with plank than to at 

 tempt to drain land with open ditches. I have known many 

 farmers to use split timber about the size of rails for the side 

 pieces, and split slabs for covering them. But with materials in 

 such a form it is always very difficult to perform a job in a 

 proper manner. There will be so many large cracks between 

 the side pieces and the cover, that such drains always become 

 obstructed in a very few years. I have filled several ditches on 

 my farm with plank, because tile and stone were scarce ; and I 

 see no good reason why such drains will not work well for thirty 

 or forty years, providing the outlets are kept clear, and the earth 

 is not allowed to enter at the head. 



