362 Irrigation and Drainage 



ing gradually narrower toward the foot, while the 

 drainage ways increase in width toward the foot. In 

 the meadow in question, the measured widths and 

 depths of the distributaries at their heads were 42 

 inches by 24 inches respectively, in all except Nos. 

 10, 11, 12 and 13, 10 and 11 being 28 by 24, 12 

 being 48 by 24 inches, and 13 14 inches wide and 

 12 inches deep ; but the capacity of the drainage 

 ditches was only about one -fourth that of the dis- 

 tributaries. 



In Italy the winter meadows, when laid out in 

 what is regarded as the best manner, have sloping 

 faces not wider than 25 to 30 feet, and with the crests 

 12 inches higher than the hollows, while the lengths 

 are quite variable, depending upon the volume of 

 water at command, but usually being 8 or 10 times 

 the width. The distributaries have a width of 12 

 inches and a depth of 6 to 7 inches, while the drain- 

 age lines have dimensions about one -half of these. 



In the summer water-meadows of Italy, the sur- 

 face is much more nearly level between the distribu- 

 taries, and often there is no intermediate drainage 

 furrow, its function sometimes being fulfilled by a line 

 of drainage tile beneath the surface. 



In the Campine of Belgium, extensive sandy plains 

 have been laid out in water-meadows, and Fig. 97 

 represents a small section of this system near Neer- 

 pelt, where the water is distributed through canals 

 on the crests of ridges, as already described, and 

 in the plan the heavy lines represent the distribu- 

 taries, while the lighter lines represent the drainage 



