WATERING OP LAND. 



a]ong which the water muft pafe, from the places where it 

 can be found to the places where it is to have its effeft. 

 The place of its ufe lies between the floating feeder and the 

 foot of the flope or drains, which are made in every furrow, 

 for the purpofe of catching the water ; and which are faid 

 to be catch drains, and the large ones, which colleA the 

 water from thefe, main drains. 



It is fuppofed that all floating or watering, in large rivers, 

 may be done without conilruifling hatches, which are often 

 attended with heavy expences and many inconveniences. If 

 the proprietor has the land far enough up the river, nothing 

 more is neceflary, than to go thither and cut a channel out 

 of it, which fhall be deeper than the bottom of the itream. 

 The water, which will be taken out in this new channel, 

 may be dammed up by the hatches in it, at any place moft 

 convenient for getting it out upon the furface. To turn it 

 into its old coiu-fe down the river, nothing more is neceflary 

 than a hatch at the upper end of the feeder. Feeders con- 

 ftrufted in this way will be extremely ferviceable in time of 

 floods, for by drawing both the hatches an entire new chan- 

 nel will be opened, which is generally much ftraighter than 

 the old one. To contrive the fliorted poflible way to get 

 the water upon the ground, it is evident that an obtufe 

 angle is the beft: calculated for that purpofe ; it Ihortens the 

 length of the feeders, facilitates the motion of the water, 

 increafes the velocity, and confequently preferves that natu- 

 ral warmth or motion which keeps it from freezing in the 

 winter or ftagnating in the fummer. It alfo prevents the 

 accumulation of fcum, or whatever floats upon the furface, 

 and enables the floater to diftribute the water much more 

 equally on every part of the work than if it went in a more 

 circuitous courfe. The wind has lefs power to retard the 

 motion of the furface, and the fediment which fliould go 

 out upon the beds is lefs liable to lodge in the bottom of 

 the feeders, and confequently the feeders will be cleared out 

 with much lefs trouble and expence, efpecially if there be 

 proper plugs or fmall hatches to draw up for the purpofe 

 of fending a ilream through them. It may appear to fome 

 that thefe hatches are too expenfive, or unneceflary, but 

 praftice proves that it is beft to have them well done at 

 firft, which is doing them for a length of time. Inclined 

 planes, too, are abfolutely neceflary for the purpofe of water- 

 ing. To form thefe between ftraight and parallel lines, it 

 is requifite to dig away land where it is too high, and move 

 it to thefe places where it is too low, to make fuch an uni- 

 formity of furface. The new-made ground will, of courfe, 

 fettle in hollows proportioned to the depth of the loofe 

 matter which has been lately put together, but fuch fettle- 

 ment will not take place until the new ground has been 

 completely foaked with wet and dried again ; confequently, 

 thefe defefts cannot be removed before the fecond or third 

 year of watering ; it will therefore require more flcill to 

 manage watered land for a few of the firft years, than may 

 be the cafe at any time afterwards. 



In conclufion it is noticed, that however fimple the con- 

 ftruftion of a watered meadow or land may appear upon a 

 fuperficial view, thofe who enter particularly into the con- 

 cern will find it much more difiicult than is commonly fup- 

 pofed. It is no eafy tafli to give an irregular furface that 

 regular yet various form which may be fit for the overflow- 

 ing of the water. It is quite neceflary for the defigner to 

 have juft notions of lines, levels, and angles ; the know- 

 ledge of fuperficial forms will not be fufBcient. Accurate 

 ideas of folid geometry, fomehow acquired, are abfolutely 

 neceflary to put fuch a furface into the proper form for the 

 reception of water, without the trouble and expence of 

 doing much of the work twice over. 



Divifton of Watering.-~m\\t praftice of watering land 

 may be divided or diftinguiflied into two principal head* or 

 modes ; as thofe of performing it in flat work or flat- 

 flooding, and in floping or catch work. Each of thefe di- 

 vifions has, however, many varieties in the methods of eM- 

 cuting the bufinefs, as will be feen below. 



In the former, or that of watering lands in flat-flooding, 

 there muft be a full fupply of water, which ferves only one 

 turn, and is then carried off' the field. There fliould be a 

 very moderate but uniform declivity in the furface of the 

 land, and the requifite expence be incurred by the under- 

 taker. But though in fuch works a very fmall gradual de- 

 clination will moftly be fufficient, there will be confiderable 

 variety in this particular, according to the aftual form of 

 the land. The moft defirable and perfeA dechvity for this 

 purpofe has been found to be in the ridges, from the upper 

 to the lower extremities of the field, one inch in every nine 

 yards. With this gentle fall, the water pafles over by the 

 mere contraftion of the feeder, without any flop ; but fuch 

 exaft declivities are feldom had. It is alfo found that the 

 declivity of the fides of the ridges, from the crown to the 

 furrow, fliould be about two inches for every yard ; fo that, 

 fuppofing the ridge to be ten yards broad throughout, and 

 every fide to be in the form of an inclined plain, declining 

 in this proportion, the crown may be ten inches raifed above 

 the furrow, meafuring by the furface at each part. In 

 thefe proportions, however, there is great aflual variety. 

 It is by no means uncommon to find the ridges fourteen 

 yards wade ; and when the water is very fcanty, they are 

 fometimes twenty yards in width. Where there is a full 

 ftream of water, the narrow ridges are found to produce 

 the greateft crops in proportion ; but the expence of form- 

 ing them is likewife greater. Where the field or land has 

 an uniform furface, and the declivity fuits, one principal 

 feeder may ferve the whole. It is to be cut fo as to be 

 the wideft at the upper end, contrafting all the way as it 

 defcends. Notches are to be cut in the bank on the fide 

 next the land ; and a notch oppofite to and communicating 

 with each of the lefler feeders, in order to fupply them all 

 in fucceffion with water. Thefe fmaller feeders, too, are to 

 be formed fo as to be the largeft at the heads, contrafting 

 gradually as they defcend, until near the lower end of the 

 ridge, when the fmall feeder entirely difappears. The cor- 

 refponding fmall drains are made fomewhat lefs than the 

 feeders, though not much lefs, and the proportions of the 

 drains are reverfed, being formed the largeft at the lower 

 ends, and diminiftiing into fcarcely any thing at the upper 

 ends. 



But though the furface of the field or land fliould be 

 uniform, yet if the defcent in the line of the principal 

 feeder be too rapid to admit of its giving fupply to the Idler 

 feeders, in a regular manner, without great flops or hatches, 

 the method below may in that cafe be had recourfe to. The 

 main ditch may aft as a conduftor only, not as a feeder; and 

 parallel to it the main feeder may be formed in feveral dif- 

 ferent parts, each of which is eafily levelled up, fo as to 

 fupply five or fix ridges, and is itfelf fupphed from the con- 

 duftor, by fimply adjufting a ftop or hatch for every fub- 

 divided feeder. If the furface fliould confift of feparate 

 and gently rifing fwells, there muft be a main feeder branch- 

 ing away from the conduftor to fupply every afcent, on the 

 top of which this feeder is formed ; while a correfponding 

 drain is cut at the bottom, and the refpeftive ridges are 

 marked out and formed between the feeder and the drain. 



If it fliould be neceflary, fome catch-work may be inter- 

 mixed, fo as to water the irregular portions of furface, 

 which poifefii a degree of declivity anfwering to that mode 



of 



