DRAINAGE 



87 



top of the ditch will be about one foot from the line of grade 

 stakes. A straight ditch indicates good workmanship. To 

 secure straightness, a small rope may be stretched along the 

 line of the ditch. Curves may be laid out by using the rope 

 as a radius and marking numerous points along the line of 

 curve by short stakes. 



The tools required for digging ditches by hand are not 

 numerous. A ditching spade with a 16- to 20-inch blade is 

 most generally used. In muck soils, an open three-tanged 

 spade will be more satisfactory. To clean out the loose soil 

 from the bottom of the ditch, a long-handled round-nosed 

 shovel is the most efficient tool. To take out the last bit of 

 soil and to shave the bottom of the ditch down to an even 

 grade to receive the tile, a tiler's scoop, or crumber, is neces- 

 sary. 



Ditching Machines. Owing to the large amount of labor 

 involved in digging tile ditches by hand, attempts have been 

 made for years to design a machine which would do the work 

 successfully. At the present time there are some machines 



Fig. 54. A tile ditching machine at work. 



