52 MUCK CROPS 



Getting the Grade. Suppose the farmer 

 has found, either from the surveyor or by 

 surveying himself, that the ground at the 

 head of the line is a foot higher than that at 

 the outlet. Then, if conditions are such that 

 the outlet may be 3% feet deep by making 

 the head of the ditch only 3 feet deep, a fall 

 of i% feet is obtained. If two stakes are 

 driven in opposite sides of the proposed 

 trench and a lath is nailed horizontally from 

 one to the other, i% feet above the ground 

 at the outlet and another is nailed two feet 

 above the ground at th% head, a straight line 

 between these laths will be parallel to the 

 desired grade line and just 5 feet above it. 

 If several laths are nailed at intermediate 

 points in line with the two end ones, a well 

 defined line of grade laths is established. 



By digging the trench until the top of a 

 pole 5 feet long, held vertically on the 

 bottom of the ditch, is in line with the top of 

 the laths, a perfect grade line can be ob- 

 tained. This would be particularly valuable 

 with tile and would be beneficial with open 

 ditching. However, most of the latter are 

 dug without regard to grade other than 

 that given by running water found in the 



