AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE. 137 



through it are each 1 foot broad. The liorizontal distri- 

 buting canal is 2 feet broad and ^ foot deep. The ridge- 

 cuttings that issue from it are 90 feet long ; at the 

 mouth they are 1^ foot, and 1 foot broad, with a depth of 

 5 inches. The width of each ridge is 60 feet, conse^ 

 quently each bed or slope is 30 feet broad. 



In order to diminish the size of the intervals between 

 the cuttings transversal canals arc carried across the 

 beds. 



The drain-cuttings have a i'all at the surface of only 

 3 inches, but at bottom of 5 inches, being 4 inches deep 

 and 8 inches broad, and 6 inches deep and I loot 

 broad. In this meadow the chief drain serves as a dis- 

 tributing canal for a meadow situated below and adjacent 

 to it. 



In a meadow laid out by M. Vorlander in such a 

 manner as to combine the terrace plan applied to the 

 more elevated part with the narrow ridge system, the 

 drain canals serve as distributing canals for the meadows 

 situated below them. In a large meadow near Keppel, 

 by a skilful adoption of the various modes of laying down 

 the surface, the same water is carried over eight different 

 plots of land in succession. 



The instruments principally used at Siegen by the 

 meadow-owners are — 



Fig. 1, A, an axe of peculiar construction for making 

 a sharp perpendicular cut in the turf either for raising 

 sods or for cutting canals. The point at the back of the 

 blade is intended to balance it and to give weight and 

 precision to the cut. The edge is of steel and is ground 

 sharp. The price of the axe is one dollar, or three 

 shillings. 



