IRRIGATION. 



meadows are inundated in winter 

 and spring, it is the muddiness of 

 the water which enriches the land ; 

 a fine layer of extremely divided mat- 

 ter is deposited, and when the water 

 subsides this acts as a coat of ma- 

 nure. 



"Water may be carried in small 

 channels through meadows without 

 being allowed to overtlow ; and in 

 this case the effect is similar to that 

 caused by rivers or brooks which 

 wind slowly through valleys, and 

 produce a rich verdure along their 

 course. This is watering, but not 

 properly irrigating. When this is 

 done judiciously, the effect is very 

 nearly the same as when the land is 

 irrigated ; and in hot climates it may 

 be preferable, by giving a constant 

 supply of moisture to the roots while 

 the plants are growing. The great 

 advantage of water meadows is not 

 so much the superior quantity of grass 

 or hay which is obtained when they 

 are mowed, as the early feed in spryig, 

 when all kinds of nutritive fodder are 

 scarce. At that time an acre of good 

 grass may be worth as much for a 

 month as a later crop would for the 

 reiiuiiiider of the year. When it is 

 intended to form a water meadow on 

 a surface which is nearly level, or 

 where a fall of only two or three feet 

 can be obtained in a considerable 

 length, the whole of the land must be 

 laid^'in beds about 20 or 30 feet wide, 

 the middle or crown of these beds 

 being on a level with the main feed- 

 ers, and the bottoms or drains on a 

 level with the lower exit of the wa- 

 ter, or a little above it. To form 

 these beds most expeditiously, if the 

 ground is already in grass, the sod 

 may be pared off and relaid after the 

 beds are formed, by which means the 

 grass will be sooner re-established ; 

 but, except in very heavy soils, where 

 tlie grass is some time in taking root, 

 the easiest and cheapest way is to 

 plough the land two or three times 

 towards the centre, and dig out the 

 draih with the spade. The earth out 

 of the drains, and that which is taken 

 out of the upper trench or feeder, 

 may be spread over the bed, to give 



it the proper slope. A roller passed 

 over the bed in the direction of its 

 length will lay it even, and the seeds 

 of grasses being sowed over it, the 

 water may be let on for a very short 

 time, to make them spring. As soon 

 as the grass is two or three inches 

 above ground, a regular flooding may 

 be given, and in a very short time the 

 sward will be complete. Instead of 

 sowing seed, turfs of grass cut from 

 old sward may he spread over the 

 newly-formed beds, and they will 

 soon cover the ground. The Italian 

 rye grass grows so rapidly that, if it 

 be sowed as soon as the snow and 

 frost are gone, it will afford a good 

 crop to feed off in May, or to mow for 

 hay by June, and after that it may 

 be cut repeatedly during the summer ; 

 but where the soil is good and the 

 water abundant, good natural grasses 

 will spring up without much sowing, 

 and soon equal the old water mead- 

 ows. 



" It seems essential to the forma- 

 tion of a good water meadow, that 

 the bottom be porous, and free from 

 stagnant water ; hence under-drain- 

 ing is often indispensable before a 

 water meadow can be established ; 

 and a peat bog, if drained and consol- 

 idated, may have water carried over 

 its surface, and produce very good 

 herbage. If the soil is a very stiff 

 clay, draining is indispensable, where 

 a water meadow is to be made. The 

 more porous the soil, the less depth 

 of water is required, which is not ob- 

 vious at first sight ; but the clay lets 

 the water run over the surface with- 

 out soaking into the roots, where- 

 as the porous soil is soon soaked to 

 a considerable depth. The water 

 must, therefore, be longer on the 

 clay than on the sand or gravel to 

 produce the same effect. Ifthewa- 

 ■ ter is properly applied, all kinds of 

 soils may be converted into fertile 

 water meadows. On very stiff clays 

 a coat of sand or gravel, where it can 

 \ be easily put on, will greatly improve 

 ' the herbage. It should not be plough- 

 ed in, but'laid on the surface, two or 

 three inches thick. 



"The usual time of letting on the 



439 



