1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



727 



distant from the lake. The rate of declination of 

 the surface, as shown by the canal, is much most 

 rapid nearest the lake ; and is equal to 6 leet per- 

 pendicular in the first quarier ol a mile. Below, it 

 !S more jrradual ; but in the whole course of the 

 canal, of something more than 6 miles, the lall is 

 between 18 and 19 leel, and of the swamp Jand 

 alontr side, nearly as much. It will be obvious, 

 from these circumstances, that W, (lor example) the 

 depth of two leet of earth only were cut awa_v, or 

 removed horizontally from the margin of the lake, 

 that a broad sheet of water of a loot in depth would 

 be poured over the whole of the most elevated 

 side of the land, and pass over the whole iiirm, (if j 

 no artificial obstructions existed) to escape at the 

 opposite and lower side. To guard against any 

 such invasion from water, the lake-side dike, 

 though so little elevated as to be scarcely visible, 

 and seeming as merely designed tor the road, 

 serves as a secure barrier. This very regular in- 

 clination of the surface of the land, with the sup- 

 ply of water at the top, would permit the easiest, 

 and the most abundant as well as extensive irri- 

 gation of any yet effected by art, if the aid of wa- 

 tering should be desired hereafter. It is upon this 

 general and regular inclination of the land that the 

 scheme of its drainage was Ibunded, and on which 

 its successful operation depends. 



The digging of tlie great canal was the first 

 work, and this was com[)leled about 60 years ago, 

 by the Lake Company, at a cost of !!j30,000. Its 

 course is perfectly straight, so far as visible on the 

 liirni, and is at right angles to the side of the lake 

 where it enters, and its direction is with the great- 

 est descent of the surface of the land. To a quar- 

 ter of a mile from the lake, where the water-power 

 is used for the mill and other machinery, the level 

 of the water is kept up, for a head. To that point, 

 the water is kept in by its banks, and stands at the 

 mills 6 feet higher than the cultivated fields on 

 both sides. Below the mills, the water of the ca- 

 nal is lower thhn the adjacent land whenever the 

 mills are not at work, and the full (low of water re- 

 strained ; but higher when that flow is used or per- 

 mitted, which is usually the case, except at night, 

 and in wet seasons when it is necessary to afford a 

 continual outlet to the rain from the fields. The 

 canal receives the water collected from the land 

 by nearly all the drains, through three several and 

 remote channels ; of which the two on the higher 

 levels are kept shut, by close flood-gates, when the 

 mills are grinding and the canal receiving its lull 

 supply fiom the lake, and are opened whenever 

 that supply is shut out by a flood-gate across the 

 canal, near its junction with the lake. Thus ail 

 the water collected by drains li-om more than 1200 

 acres of the arable land is shut in usually through 

 every day, and only jiermitted to run out at niizht ; 

 and that the accumulation in the lowest ditch is 

 not enough to hurt the arable land, is the strongest 

 evidence of the dry state of the reclaimed land. 

 The third passage into the main canal enters so 

 low down, that it is left open at all times, the water 

 in the canal at the junction being the lowest where 

 this supply enters. There is also another place of 

 discharge from some of the drains most remote 

 from the canal, at the opposite side through a 

 email arm of Scuppernong river, which originally 

 was the only natural channel, in usual seasons, of 

 Ihe surplus water of the lake. 



There are five main drains, 8 feet wide, running 



through the land parallel to the canal ; these are 

 crossed at right angles by " leading ditches," 6 

 leet wide, and at distances ol" a sixth to a quarier 

 of a mile from each other. The banks of these 

 leading drains are all thrown on the side towards 

 the descent of the surface. Of the "lake side 

 ditch " which is also nearly parallel to these, the 

 earth dug out was throvvn to the opposite side, 

 towards the lake, to help to form a road there. 

 The design of this is difl'erent from the leading 

 ditches, it being to catch the water which oozes 

 under the road embankment, from the much high- 

 er and adjacent water of the lake. The banks of all 

 these main drains and of the leading ditches cross- 

 ing them are lormed into good and permanent farm 

 roads ; and these roads, together with the main 

 road of the farm, amount to 24 miles in length, 

 and of course there are as many miles of the large 

 drains. The rectangular spaces formed by these 

 great drains, are again intersected by three-loot 

 ditches running down the slope of the land, and 

 emptying into the leading drains below ; these are 

 crossed by small and shallow " tap ditches " (such, 

 as are elsewhere called "'grips,") at every 50 yards 

 distance. Finally, the entire surface is ploughed 

 info ridges, for corn, of 5 and 6 feet, with good 

 waler-furrows between. Thus the water-furrows 

 collect all surface or rain water, and discharge it 

 into the shallow tap ditches, which empty into the 

 deep 3 leet ditches, a-nd these into the 6 leet lead- 

 ing ditches, these into the 8 feet main drains, and 

 these into the canal, or the other and natural out- 

 let. The tap ditches are only about four inches 

 lovver than the water-furrows, and do not obstruct 

 the passage of the teams and ploughs. They are 

 easy to dig, but require cleaning out after every 

 ploughing of the field. The three-foot ditches are 

 2 feet deep, and the two larger kinds are 3 feet or 

 more, and the canal, 4 feet. The water is so di- 

 rected that each large drain discharges its proper 

 share. All these kinds, from tap-ditches to main 

 drains, amount to 130 miles in length of ditching, 

 on the fiarm of 1400 acres drained and cultivated. 

 The whole operation of the drainage seems very 

 perfect. The soil, considering the loose texture 

 of much of it, and its absorbent character, was sur- 

 prisingly dry ; as dry indeed as such soil, and of 

 such a level surface, could have been expected to 

 be, if Iree from all higher water. 



No. 6. 



The soil, and its former and present vegetable pro- 

 ducts. 



Somerset Place, Nov. 2G. 

 The labors executed by the present proprietor 

 in the short time that he has had possession (11 

 years) have been great, even lor the large force 

 and capital employed ; and the performance hag 

 been the more remarkable as being conducted by 

 one who was very young, and totally inexpe- 

 rienced. He has drained, and brought into culti- 

 vation 500 acres of the now cultivated arable sur- 

 face of 1400, besidi's other and perhaps as ardu- 

 ous labors, which are not required on other kinds 

 of lands. One of these was the clearing up Ihe 

 dead trees of much land drained before his arrival, 

 in addition to that labor on all the newer part. 



