MAY.] FORM NEW WATERED-MEADS. 305 



12th, 111 viewing, therefore, the lands below the 

 grand carrier, our operator should chuse, for his 

 first works, those fields, the soil or state, or value 

 of which are the most promising for working a 

 great improvement, and these will be the dry 

 arable slopes, or poor dry pastures. And if he has 

 a choice, let him begin with one which joins his 

 carrier, and mark the lower spot, side or corner of 

 it, where the water may best have its issue, having 

 been worked over its surface ; and at that spot 

 taking his station, let him examine what field is so 

 situated as to take the water next. If the declivity 

 is at all steep, any may do ; but if gentle, it may 

 be necessary to conduct it diagonally to some dis- 

 tance, before a field is found low enough to receive 

 it ; for let our operator have it in his attention, 

 that he is to conducl the water thus first taken till 

 its final exit into the bed of the river, whence it 

 can no more be taken by him, before he meddles 

 with any other work. In some cases it might be 

 more profitable immediately to water other fields 

 nearer the carrier, but as the water used in the 

 first field would in that case run to waste before it 

 arrived at the river (especially if the tract to be 

 watered be of any extent), and as it is beneficial 

 to plan what is to be done with all water taken, in 

 its whole course from the carrier to the river's bed, 

 it is much better to finish with it before a fresh 

 \vork is opened. 



On gentle slopes of country this plan will gene- 



x rally 



