262 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the dikes and ditches. It may be turned upside down where 

 it is cut instead, and when thus handled and covered with the 

 surface mulch of sand it will give no great trouble from the 

 weed standpoint. 



The dikes are of various dimensions according to the heads 

 of water they are required to hold. It is sometimes desirable 

 to build the dikes wider than is necessary to hold the water, 

 so that they may also serve as roadways across the bog. In 

 case the bog location runs for a long distance along a stream, 

 it is best to divide the swamp into several separate bog areas, 

 each area nearly level in itself, but the various areas at differ- 

 ent elevations according to the lay of the land, and all separated 

 from each other by dikes. In this way the quantity of water 

 required for flooding the entire swamp may be very greatly 

 reduced. The dikes should have a broad base below the center 

 of which a trench should be dug to hardpan. This trench 

 should run lengthwise of the dike and shoidd be filled with 

 sand or gravel so as to make a good connection with the soil 

 beneath for holding the water. The dikes should be narrower 

 at the top than at the bottom. Heavy teams should not be 

 allowed to drive over a new dike for several months after it 

 is built, for the dike will be injured for holding water if it is 

 used as a roadway before it has become well settled together. 

 A dike should be built overstrong rather than not strong 

 enough. In other words, it is the part of wisdom to always 

 build a dike wider and higher than appears to be necessary. 

 It should be at least a foot higher than the high-water mark, 

 for the wave action of the water against it will be certain to 

 wear a hole through the top in time in case it is not high 

 enough. Ditches should not be dug close to the dikes, but it 

 is desirable to ditch the bog a few feet away from the base of 

 the dike on either side. If the ditch is cut too near to the dike 

 there is danger of the dike caving in. If the dike crosses peat 

 or other soft land, it should be spiled with barn boards or, 

 better still, with planks lengthwise to hardpan, in the middle. 

 A flume for the passage of the water must be built in the dike, 

 and too great care cannot be used in its construction. There 

 are several different kinds of flumes. Some are built of wood, 

 but it will pay in most cases to build them of concrete and 



