Preparation of Land for Planting 



31 



could have followed the border just as well. Men who 

 are used to it, however, can grade well by eye, and find little 

 use for the level. Several forms of grading tools are on 

 the market, most of them much more convenient than 

 the common scraper. 



With soils that wash easily and where there is no danger 



FIG. 2. Leveling with Water. 



of seeping lower lands, high knolls may be easily moved 

 to lower levels by washing with irrigation water. It is 

 surprising how quickly a hill may be moved with a small 

 stream of water. The water is carried by gravity, or with 

 a pump, to the highest point of the hill, and when released 

 over the side, carries the soil to the low places, where it is 

 caught by a dike. (Fig. 2.) 



In grading, the important point is to see that water can 



