Book III. TERMS OF IRRIGATION. 659 



tered by the trenches and drained by the trench drains, consequently there is one on each 

 side of every trench. And a way pane is that part of the ground which lies in a properly 

 watered meadow, on that side of a main where no trenches are taken out, but is watered 

 the whole length of the main over its banks; a drain runs parallel with the main to drain the 

 way pane ; iti use is for a road to convey the hay upon out of the meadows, instead of 

 the teams crossing all the trenches. 



4084. The term bend is applied to a stoppage made in various parts of those trenches 

 which have a quick descent, to obstruct the water. It is made by leaving a narrow slip 

 of greensward across the trench, where the bend is intended to be left, cutting occasionally 

 a piece, wedge fashion , out of the middle of it. Its use is to check the water, and force 

 it over the trench into the panes ; which, if it were not for those bends, would run rapidly 

 on in the trench, and not flow over the land, as it passes along. The great art of watering 

 meadows consists in giving to every part of each pane an etjual quantity of water. 



4085. A gutter is a small groove cut out from the tails of those trenches, where the 

 panes run longer at one corner than the other. Its use is to carry the water to the extreme 

 point of the pane. Those panes which are intersected by the trench and tail drains meet- 

 ing in an obtuse angle, want the assistance of thesfe gutters to convey the water to the 

 longest side. Another use of them is, when the land has not been so well levelled but 

 some parts of the panes lie higher than they ought, a gutter is then drawn from the 

 trench over that high ground, which otherwise would not be overflowed. Without this 

 precaution, unless the flats were flUed up (which ought always to be done when materials can 

 be had to do it) , the water will not rise upon it : and after the watering season is past, 

 those places would appear rusty and brown, whilst a rich verdure would overspread the 

 others ; and at hay -time the grass in those places would be scarce high enough for the 

 scythe to touch it, whilst that around them, which has been properly watered, will from 

 its luxuriancy lie down. Though this method of treating those places is mentioned, it 

 ought always to be reprobated ; for every inequality in water meadows should either be 

 levelled down or filled up. Here the irrigator's skill is shown, in bringing the water over 

 those places where it could not rise of itself, and in carrying it off from others where it 

 would otherwise stagnate. 



4086. The term catch drain is sometimes applied to another method made use of to 

 water the land when the water is scarce, and it is this : when a meadow is pretty long 

 and has a quick descent, the water runs swiftly down those drains, one or more of tjiem are, 

 at a proper place, close stopped, till the water flowing thither rises higher and higher, 

 either till it strikes back into the tail drains, so high as to rise upon the sides of the 

 panes (in that case it will not succeed, and must be cut open again to let the water free), 

 or till it flows over the banks of the drain, and waters the ground below; then the design 

 succeeds, and (in proportion to the quantity of water thus collected) it is to be conveyed 

 upon the land, either in a small main, out of which trenches are to be drawn with their pro- 

 per drains, or by trenche^ taken immediately out of it. But a catch drain is by no means 

 recommended ; and it is broper to remark, that even when this method succeeds, the water 

 having been so lately strained over the ground, it is supposed by the w^atermen to be not so 

 enriching as it was before it was used, and therefore nothing but absolute necessity can 

 justify its adoption. 



4087. The bed of a river, main, trench, &c. is the bottom of them. 



4088. The term pond means water standing upon the land, or in the tail drain, trench 

 drains, &c. so as to injure the ground near them ; and is occasioned sometimes by the flats 

 not having been properly filled up ; and at other times, when a ware being shut close, to 

 water some high ground above it, the water is thrown back upon the ground contiguous. 

 In this case the lesser evil, whichever it is, must be borne with. 



4089. And a turn nf water means so much land in a meadow as can be watered at one 

 time. It is done by shutting down the hatches in all those wares where the water is in- 

 tended to be kept out, and opening those that are to let the water through them. The 

 quantity of land to be watered by one turn, must vary with the size of the river, main, 

 &c. as well as with the plenty or scarcity of water. 



4090. The head of a meadow is that part into which the river, main, &c. first enters ; 

 and the tail of a meadow is that part out of which the river, &c. last passes. 



4091. The upper side of a maiuy or trench, is that side which (when the main or trench 

 is drawn at, or nearly at, right angles with the river, &c.) fronts the part from whence the 

 river entered. Consequently the lower side is the reverse. 



4092. And the upper pane in a meadow is that pane which lies upon the upper side of 

 the main, or trench, tliat is drawn at right angles with the river : that is, when the river, &c. 

 runs north and south, entering at the north, and the mains and trenches are drawn east 

 and west, all those panes, which li^ on the north side of the main, &c. are called the upper 

 panes, those on the soutli side are called the lower. But it may be noticed, that where 

 the mains, trenches, &c. run parallel with the river, the panes on either side are not dis- 

 tinguished from each other. 



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