202 IBBIGATIOX. 



the water is retained, instead of flowing in streams use- 

 lessly and destructively down the slope, and sinks into 

 the soil moistening the whole as it percolates through 

 the subsoil and again reaches the light, lower down. Or 

 the terraces may be so arranged as to lead the rain water 

 into a reservoir, where it may be stored, and used to irri- 

 gate the lower portion of the slope in the drier part of 

 the season. j 



As the preservation of a level or smoothly sloping sur- 

 face is the main point in preparing the soil for irrigation, 

 it is important to have implements well adapted to this 

 necessary work, and also to prepare furrows quickly and 

 perfectly. There is no need for costly implements, but 

 very effective ones may be constructed with little labor 

 and skill. To level the ground is the first work after 

 plowing and pulverizing the surface. To do this cheaply, 

 a scraper that can be operated by horse-power is needed. 

 One upon which the operator can ride would be most con- 

 venient, as the work may then be overlooked with ease, 

 and the weight of the rider would add to the effectiveness 

 of the implement. A horse-scraper, much used in Cali- 

 fornia for leveling ground plowed for irrigation, consists of 

 a frame, 4 feet wide and 6 feet long, mounted upon a pair 

 of low wheels, and constructed of planks, upon which the 

 driver rides. A tongue is fixed to the central part of the 

 frame, by which the machine is drawn along. A scraper 

 is fixed to the front of the frame in a perpendicular or 

 a sloping direction, as may be desired. Handles, or guides, 

 are fixed to the scraper, by which this direction is govern- 

 ed. The scraper is a plank, 12 feet long and a foot and 

 a half wide, shod at the bottom edge by a steel shoe. A 

 half circular, flat, iron bar is bolted to the front of the 

 scraper and passes through an iron strap fixed beneath 

 the tongue. The bar is pierced with a number of holes, 

 and a hole is made through the tongue so that an iron 

 pin maybe passed through both tongue and bar. By 



