THE POTATO 103 



ing; and, second, a proper surface grading for the 

 even distribution of water. 



"There is nothing that pertains to irrigated 

 farming that pays better than proper leveling or 

 grading of the land. It is the key to the whole 

 situation, and when once done it is done for all 

 time. 



"It is not always necessary to change the gen- 

 eral grade or lay of a piece of land, but it is ab- 

 solutely essential to take off high places and build 

 up low ones. 



"There are several implements with which to 

 do leveling and grading; among these are Fresno 

 scrapers, buck scrapers and land graders of dif- 

 ferent makes. Each one has a special use, some 

 being for heavy cuts and long hauls, and some best 

 for short hauls. The character of the work to be 

 done will be the determining factor in the imple- 

 ment chosen. After the grading is done, in order 

 to get surface smoothness, a home-made leveler 

 or jointer made of plank should be run over the 

 land to take out all small unevennesses. This 

 leveler or jointer should be used every time a 

 field is plowed. It firms and fines the soil. On 

 some land this leveler is the only implement 

 needed for leveling. 



"No hard and fast rules can be given for the 

 laying out of the ditch system for a new tract of 

 land, but there are a great many essential points 

 to be considered in order to have satisfactory re- 

 sults. It is desirable to bring the water to the 

 highest point on the farm, so that every part can 

 be reached. The 'farm supply ditch' should be 

 as short as it is possible to make it in order to les- 

 sen seepage, evaporation and maintenance. It 

 should ordinarily be made on a grade of 1 foot (1.2 



