PREPARATION OF SOIL BY DRAINAGE. 8/ 



across the place (K K) cleared out, thinking that this 

 might answer for the present ; and the gurgle of the little 

 streamlet along the bottom of the ditch seemed a low laugh 

 at the idea of its ever filling the three square feet of space 

 above it. Deceitful little brook ! Its innocent babble con- 

 tained no suggestion of its hoarse roar on a March day, the 

 following spring, as it tore its way along, scooping the 

 stones and gravel from its upper bed and scattering them 

 far and wide over the alluvial meadow. Instead of a tiny 

 rill, I found that I would have to cope at times with a 

 mountain torrent. At first, the task was too heavy, and the 

 fitful-tempered brook, and the swamp-Hke region it encom- 

 passed, were left for years to their old wild instincts. At 

 last the increasing demands of my business made it neces- 

 sary to have more arable land, and I saw that, if I could 

 keep it from being overwhelmed with water and gravel, the 

 alluvial meadow was just the place for strawberries. 



I commenced at the lowest point where it finally leaves 

 my grounds, and dug a canal (K K), twelve feet wide by 

 four or five deep, across my place, stoning up its walls on 

 either side. An immense amount of earth and gravel was 

 thrown on the lower side so as to form a high, strong embank- 

 ment in addition to the channel. Then, where it entered the 

 farm above the meadow, I had a wide, deep ditch excavated 

 throwing all the debris between it and the land I wished to 

 shield. Throughout the low meadow, two covered box- 

 drains (L and M) were constructed so that the plow could 

 pass over them. On the side of the meadow next to 

 the boulevard and mountain, I had an open drain (N N) 

 dug and filled with stones even with the ground. It was 

 designed to catch and carry off the surface water, merely, 

 from the long extent of mountain-slope that it skirted. 

 The system of ditches to protect and drain the partial 



