FARMERS' REGISTEU 



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two and a half feet wide, passinf]^ mrougli the 

 centre of the ground, (from north to south,) and 

 empties into the receiver o crossino; at ritrht an-xles. 

 Anotlierreclaiminir ditcli, in the same course (horn 

 e,) marked g, commences below the bank made 

 by the receiver o, and empties into another recluim- 

 injr ditch at c, the southern extremity. 



The cross lines, h, o, and m g, represent receiving 

 ditches, to which the rows ol' corn or tobacco run, 

 at riirht anizles, and into which tiieir water fijrrows 

 empty. These receiving ditches empty into the 

 reclain)ing ditcli, e, g, and also into another run- 

 ning along the inside oi' the base of the dike, (as a 

 line runs,) the whole distance, and which is emp- 

 tied through the dike, by a water gate, at i. 



The largest receiving ditch, o, running east and 

 west across the centre of the dike, is six teet wide, 

 the earth dug out of it, thrown on tlie lower side, 

 and is connected with the dike at both ends. — 

 There is a water gate in tliis ditch, at the base of 

 the dike at the eastern end (o,) the object of which 

 is to cut off all communication, between the upper 

 and lower halt; so that in excessive rams each half 

 will retain the water only that falls on it. Other- 

 wise, the water would all settle down at the lower 

 end, and drown the crop before it could be dis- 

 charged. When the water has fallen in the creek, 

 both gates are hoisted, that at o, in the six foot re- 

 ceiver, and that at i, through which the water fi- 

 nally passes off into the stream below. 



The lines in the piece p, runninflr north and 

 south, from the bank of the large receiver, n, and 

 emptying into the smaller one, g, represent corn 

 or tobacco rows. Each row has a water iurrow, 

 which IS never suflered to be filled with dirt in the 

 process of cultivation, but is kept well opened, so 

 that it will drain off into the receiver, and that into 

 a reclaiming ditch, and all is finally discharged 

 ihrouirh the bank, by a water gate at i. 



The reader will perceive, that the corn or to- 

 bacco rows are all emptied into receivers or cress 

 ditches, and these again communicate with the 

 reclaiming ditch, passing through the centre and 

 that located at the base of the interior oi' the em- 

 bankment, and finally, the whole is discharged 

 through the bank, by the water gat^, at the lou-er 

 end, at i. In great freshets, this gate is closed, 

 and prevents all communication between the wa- 

 ter outside, and the inside of the dike. It is raised 

 as soon as the creek falls, and the water collected 

 jn the dike, is discharged into the stream below. 



Before closing this communication, I will add a 

 few remarks on the subject of hill side ditches, or 

 conductors. My first observation is that they are 

 generally, in this section of the country, made too 

 Email. They are not suflicient to hold the water in 

 excessive rains, and consequently the water spills 

 over the banks and, in many cases, tliey do more 

 harm than good. I have had some of this Icind of 

 experience myself, but have not on that account lost 

 my fiiith in hill side ditches. Another fault in the 

 construction is that they are fretiuently made too 

 long before they are emptied, and in consequence 

 of that fault, in proportion as the ditch increases in 

 length, the collection of water is increased, until it 

 is iiot sufficient to hold it, and it breaks over before 

 it has arrived at the appointed emptying jilace. 

 They are likewise frequency broken by collec- 

 tions of water in the intermediate spaces between 

 the conductors. In these intermediate spaces the 

 water collects and forms sluices and runs into the 



ditches and fills then) with sand, the water com- 

 ing down the ditch from above, meets wiili the 

 obstruction formed by the sand, and breaks over. 

 This may be remedied by running a furrow m a 

 gently sloping direction across the sluice, froni just 

 below the ijank of the upper, to the lower conduc- 

 tor, so as to prevent the collection which forces the 

 sand into the ditch and causes it to break. The 

 true principle to avoid washing, is to [irevent the 

 collection, and pass off the water \n smfdl bodies. 

 It is the small drops of rain which fail and col- 

 lects into little rills, and these again into larger 

 bodies, that fills the ditches with sand, and causes 

 them to break over and ultimately wash tfie land 

 into gullies. The true principle then is to stop ihe 

 little rills with gently sloping fiirrows and prevent 

 the tbrniation of those larger bodies, which fill the 

 conductors with sand, and cause them to be bro- 

 ken. 



In conclusion, I will add a remark on the subject 

 of raising manure, because it is in vain tocalcuiaie 

 on success in farmin<r, without special attention to 

 this subject. "Take care of the pence and the 

 shillings and pounds will take care of themselves." 

 This principle applies as forcibly to the raising of 

 manure, as it does to making money. Many far- 

 mers in this section, do not collect half enough 

 vegetable matter for their winter establishmenis, 

 and scarcely any attention is bestowed m Ihe con- 

 struction of ihe larm yard. Instead of having them 

 constructed so as to siidt griidualiy to the centre, 

 on the contrary, the centre is frequently the most 

 elevated part of the yard, and ihe snjall quantity 

 of litter collected, is so washed by the rains that it 

 does not possess half the strength that it should 

 have, if it was sheltered, or the yards properly con- 

 structed, so as lo prevent the essence of the ma- 

 nure from draininii'off. The manure which might 

 be raised from hogs, is nearly all lost. The hog 

 pen shordd be as well liit^'red as any other estab- 

 lishment on the iiuni. The pi-opriety of this will 

 be readily perceived, when we take mto conside- 

 ration the sul)stantial food consun;ed by the hogs. 

 In the process of liitiening alone, they consume 

 from one, to one and a half barrels of corn to the 

 head, ihe ofi'al of which, is sufficient to saturate a 

 large bulk of vegetable matter. There is more 

 real manure left in the fiiltening hog pen, than 

 there is in an average of farms in the winter cow 

 pen. The covvs are fed with liaht straw or shucks, 

 the hogs with solid corn. The fattening hog pen 

 IS generally made on some declivity near a sti'eam, 

 on account of the water, and no matter put into it 

 to absorb the manure, and the first rain washes it 

 off in the stream below; and it is thus lost for the 

 want of a little attention and management. The 

 sheep should also be penned, every night, espe- 

 cially in winter. They are (jreal eaters, and should 

 pav'all thev are ca[)able oi; for their board and at- 

 tention. There are many other sources of im- 

 I jirovement, left unimproved, or carelessly wasted 

 j by most iarmers in this region. There ai'e none, 

 1 or but few ash houses. The ashes are generally 

 I throv»?n out, and suflered to be slacked and nearly 

 all washed away by the rains — the tobacco stalks 

 thrown out before the barn door, and nearly all the 

 substance soaked out by the rains — the corn cobs 

 burnt — and no haidmg of rich nnid from unculti- 

 vated fiats. These, and many other prolific sour- 

 ces of increasing the manure heap, and the fertility 

 of ihs farm, ai-e lost, or left unimproved, for want 



