1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



85 



heiiflil, ami breadih at the bafjc, iiTcater also in 

 proportion. By examining: tlio (looH-mark?, ami 

 nieasurinir their hoiirht, (hat of the enil>aiil<ment 

 may be ascertaineil; luit it shniilil always be raised 

 from one to two feet hijxlier than the (greatest 

 flood; lor t!ie materials of which it tnay be Ibnned 

 subside coiisideralily after it h;<s been constriicled; 

 and that aecordiiiir'lo their heiuht. In general, it 

 will be ibnriil that rivers whieh flow freely, and 

 have no interrnniion in their course, even diirins 

 the i^reatesi floods, dt) not rise more than five or 

 six feet above their ordinary level; so that, in most 

 cases, a banl< of six or seven feet in elevation will 

 Ije pi T ect'y adequate for every pnrpos^e of s ctsrity. 



'Pile slope of an embankment should always be 

 greater towards the river, than to the land side, in 

 order to avoid that lateral pressure which is so 

 destniclive when the bunk is li)rmed too iipritiht. 

 The s!o[)intT of the bank is of threat nse in render- 

 inir it firm and secure; as it makes the resistance 

 indirect, and ol course lessens the pressure of the 

 stream. On the north side of the Tay, betvveen 

 Errol and Inverirowrie, there are some old em- 

 bankments of stone, which rise nearly in a per- 

 pendicular line from the water. Fnmi heinrr built 

 in this injudicious matmer, they have been found 

 so iusufficient, that it has been necessary to erect 

 piers or juttees, to protect them from the violence 

 of tlie current.- 



The base of an embankment should be fhrre 

 times the breadth of Its he;o-ht; and its widih ai 

 top should be nne-tkird of that heitxht, as shr.vvn 

 by ;he section of plate i\o. IH. Tiie line of eu!- 

 bankment should be kept at a ja'oper distance from 

 the edge of the river bank, and the stuff of which 

 ii is formed should all be tak-en iVom the land side, 

 to prevent breakin<j; and loosenin'r the surface on 

 that npxt the river, which would expose it >o en- 

 croachment from 'he current. If there are any 

 heiirhts in the field adjoininfr, within a short d's- 

 tance, the earth may he parily taken from Miese. 

 and from the cut that may be necessary at the 

 back of the embankment, for receivini;r the siir- 

 fiice-water li'om the fields. The eartli (iom this 

 cut should be removed with a irradual slojie liack- 

 wanis. so as to uive an easy descent fr-om the sur- 

 face to the boiiom of the drain. All trees and 

 brushwood, should be removed from the space be- 

 twixt the embankment and the slream, to nive no 

 inierrupiion to the current, or throw the force of 

 the water airain-t the snound. Any tree or bush, 

 in the line of the haidc, should be removed bv the 

 root; otherwise, it may shake and keep ilie mound 

 loose at that place, and oive adn:iicsion lo the 

 water. A wooden f'rame of the exact shape and 

 size of tite hank shoidd be made, that the work- 

 nuMi may execute it with accuracy; for it is of con- 

 sequence to have the mound firmed recruiarly, and 

 as even and smooth as possible, that the watef 

 may meet wiih no ohsi ruction, nor take hold ol' 

 any inequality on the surface of the side next it. 

 In consiructing tlie bank, the earth should be well 

 tramped, and beaten down with heavy mallets, 

 and that part ofit of the firmest consisience should 

 be used on the s de next the river. That side 

 should also be t'aced with well swarded turf, as 

 soon as the slope is finished. It may be necessa- 

 ry to pin down the lowermost layers of turf, and to 

 water them (if a dry season), that they niav ad- 

 here the more firmly, and prevent the jirass fi-om 

 decay. The side next the field may be sown vvith 



glass seeds, which ma)' also be sown upon the 

 other side, to close the interstices beiween the 

 turfs, and to thicken the sward. 



In executing an embankment, it should always 

 he begun at the upper end, and proceeded with 

 downwards; finishing, if possible, the portion of 

 work liir the day, in case of any sudden swell of 

 the river injuring it, if left irregular and not com- 

 pleted. It is not necessary to faind the bank any 

 lower than the adjoining surface; the turf only 

 may be taken off, which will be useful in covering 

 the slope, and the earth will unite more readily 

 ihan it would do otherwise. A scarcement, or un- 

 broken space, of two or three feet must be left be- 

 tween the edge of the embankment and the trench 

 that is cut along the back of it. A paling should 

 be erected along the inner side of the scarcement, 

 to prevent cattle from going up, trampling upon, 

 atiil breaking down the bank, till ii be fully con- 

 solidated, and swarded with grass. 



Embankments are usually executed by contract, 

 and may cost from Iburpence to sixpence the cubic 

 yard. The contracior, for the sake of greater se- 

 curity in the execution of the work, should be 

 hound to uphold them for the first two years. 



All the water that may collect in the fields ad- 

 joining, should only have one outlet through the 

 '■mbaukment to the river, at the lowest point, and 

 tliat by a pipe or square box of wood, with a 

 ■< iil,'e or lid, fixed to the mouth of it by hinges on 

 the upper side. The valve will shut in flooils, to 

 exclude the river, and the pressure of the land 

 water will open it when the flood subsides. 



It is improper to sow or [ilant any tree, hedge, 

 or slirub, that takes deep root, or grows to any 

 heiiiht, on the sides or top ofthe embankment; for 

 by these, the earlh would be loosened, the water 

 admitted, and the mound shaken arid carried 

 away. If the seeds of rushes, flags, tussilago, or 

 florin grass, be sown, these will bind the snrlace, 

 and prevent the water from making any impres- 

 sion upon it. 



Holes made by moles or mice are also danger- 

 ous, on account of their admiUing the wafer into 

 the bank, and should therefore be immediately 

 closeil np. Lastly, when the smallest breach ap- 

 pears, it should be iusiantly remedied; lor if the 

 water once takes hold of a broken space, it ia 

 sometimes difficult to slop its proiriess. For these 

 purposes, if is necessary to rnnke a frequent in- 

 spection, where works of this kind are on an ex- 

 tensive scale. 



On iheViver Spey in Badenoch, the meadows 

 on the estates of BeKille and Invenshie,* that 

 were formerly overflowed and inundated by every 

 flood, are now embanked in the most complete and 

 secure manner, accordiuir to the description that 

 has just been given; whereby above a thousand 

 acres of land are now rendered safe and produc- 

 tive. On the Gordon and Findlater estates, much 

 m.ijhl be done in 'he same way. On the rivers 

 ?5eau!v. Carron, Clyde, Dee, Don, Earn, Esk, 

 Forth', Isla, Ken, Nith, Tay, Tiviot, Tweed. &c. 

 a great deal of land !ias been also embiinked in an 

 efl'ectual ma.iner; and on these, as well as many 

 other rivers in Scotland, the extent of land that 



* The latter, accordinfi; to a plan and specification 

 by tht' author; as a'so, olhers of considerable magni» 

 tiido on the rivers Dee, Don, Eden, Ken, See. 



