COTTON CULTURE. 107 



After a violent shower or a long washing rain, it will be 

 necessary to walk through the ditches to stop the washes 

 and throw out the bottoms with a hoe. In these visits 

 the farmer will often see slight changes that can be made 

 such as changing the grade at the turns. 



Fig. 19. INSTRUMENT FOR GRADING. 



a. Lath or bar 12 feet long, one inch thick, four inches 

 wide, with g, a spirit-level screwed upon it. 



b. Hind leg, 2 inches square, 3 feet long. 



c. Front leg, 2 inches square, 2^- feet long. 



d. Sliding leg, 2 inches square, 3 feet long, graduated 

 and numbered from o up and down six inches each way. 



e. Thumb-screw and bolt, by which the sliding leg is 

 made fast at any required point ; the mark c, on the front 

 leg, corresponding to o, on the sliding leg. 



The instrument of which the cut is given, is that de- 

 scribed by Mr. Forman. One much cheaper than this, as 

 above indicated, will answer all purposes. 



In many cases the feet might be 15 or 20 feet apart. 

 This would make the laying off much more rapid. 

 Where the ground is not sodded, instead of using pins, 

 the drawing of the hind leg along the line will make a 

 sufficient mark to guide the eye of the plowman. 



It will also be found practically convenient to let a 

 plowman follow close upon the rear operator, guiding his 

 horse by him. A day's practice will enable two persons 

 to move rapidly enough with the level to keep a plow in 

 steady motion behind them, and, after a good plowman 

 has followed the level a few days, his eye will become so 



