WATERING OF LAND. 



nerally be watered at lefs expence by this, than by any other 

 method. 



The method of floodiiifj flat or difliing lands artificially 

 with Handing water, i; (imply, it is faid, that of raifing 

 a dam acrofs the lower end of the fite of improvement, 

 of a fuflicient height to overflow the land, and proper 

 ftrength to i'ullain the weight of the water ; with a channel 

 at each end, t^ carry away tlie overflow ; and with a valve 

 in the middle or loweft part to draw at pleafure. 



Where the fubfoil is not fufiiciently abforbent and open 

 to free the upper foil of fuperfluous moifture, prefently 

 after the body of water has been drawn off^, a main drain 

 fliould be run up into the area of the fite, and lateral ones 

 be branched off from that, to wherever the water is found 

 to hang ; whether on the furface or in the fubfoil. But 

 where the tubfoil throughout is retentive, though but in a 

 fmall degree, the land may be confidered as improper for 

 this mode of watering, as will be fecn below. 



2d. W aterlng Jlat Lands luith running Water, ivhen raifed 

 into R'idgcs. — This is a method of praftice which is conceived 

 to be modern when compared with that of flooding, drown- 

 ing, or covering the entire furface with {landing water, as 

 being a fpirited mode which is ilill, as a general prafticc, 

 confined to one part of the kingdom. Among the chalk- 

 hills of Wiltfliire and Dorfctfliire, but efpecially the former, 

 I there are large trafts of water-formed valley lands, which 

 'have long been watered with fcientific accuracy and correft- 

 nefs. Thefe lands, it is probable, were firlf brought to a 

 firm ftate of fward, by flooding them, during a great length 

 of time, with ftanding water ; and have been fince moulded 

 into their prefent form ; been raifed into ridges, or other 

 [inequalities, in fuitable manners, and properly watered. 

 I It is proper and necefTary, however, before fo expenfive 

 la praftice be recommended, to explain the principles on 

 Iwhich it proceeds, and on which it may be profitably pur- 

 fued and had recourfe to ; where fuitable ground, and a 

 fufficient fupply of water, which is proper, can be employed. 

 It is noticed that plants, as well as animals, have their natural 

 'Elementary matters. That water plants, aquatics which root 

 jbeneath the water, live but in this fluid, where they are 

 Jecluded, in a certain degree, from air and heat. On the 

 tontrary, the agricultural vegetables of this country, among 

 itvhich are to be reckoned the more nutritious meadow 

 plants, require a free communication of atmofpheric air 

 |ind heat, to every part of them : they cannot live with their 

 i-oots immerfed in water, nor flourifli while water is lodged 

 (immediately beneath them. And between thefe two oppo- 

 site tribes of plants, is found an intermediate one, which is 

 tomewhat amphibious, or partakes fomething of the nature 

 bf both, — the plants of which delight in water, yet can live, 

 .hough not flourifli, on dry land, — provided it be of a cool 

 |iature or quality. 



; It is dated that where the foil of low flat meadow lands 

 of this nature, rells on a retentive bafe, the palnftrean fort 

 of plants feldom fail to intermix with the meadow herbage. 

 |[n a feafon which is favourable to dry land plants, the 

 Tuper-iquatics are kept in a dwarfifli underling ftate. On 

 j.he contrary, in a wet feafon they flcunfli ; while the better 

 iicrbage becomes weak and unproductive. If, through neg- 

 ,e£l, the foil or land be fuffered to remain faturatcd for fome 

 length of time with water, the meadow plants dwindle, or 

 die, and the ranker wetland weeds take pofleflion. Hence, 

 In the prafticc of watering, the propriety of quickly reliev- 

 ing the foil or land from fuperfluous moifture or wetnefs, 

 p order that the better herbage may gain the afccndancy ; 

 'fpccially in the fpring, when a few days of warm weather 

 jt the critical junfture may give the one or the other a fu- 



periority during the early fummer months. Even in mea- 

 dows where the fuperaquatics do not abound, the fame prin- 

 ciple of praftice holds good ; for it is well known to 

 common obfervation, that flat retentive meadows, which do 

 not readily ftioot off^ furface-waters, are materiully injured by 

 a cold wet fpring : by which the finer more nutiilious her- 

 bage is cut off, or wholly checked : fo tliat the hay-crop 

 proves thin, is of fmall bulk, and of an inferior quality. 

 But further, though it be evident that water, even ftanding 

 water, may remain for a fliort time upon dry 'aud-planti. 

 with impunity, efpecially in a cold feafon ; yet wherever it 

 is fuffered to lie long on the furface, particularly during 

 warm weather, there, dry land-plants, in general, are de- 

 ftroyed, are probably fuff^ocated for want of that fupply of 

 air which Jlanding water is incapable of aff"ording them. 

 Hence, it is fuppofed, appears to arife an advantage of wa- 

 tering with running water ; and hence, too, the propriety 

 of watering by inter-vah ; in order to enable the plants to 

 recover their ftrength, and to exert their natural powers of 

 imbibing the nouriftiment the water may have provided for 

 them, and thereby increafing their ftrength. Befides, the 

 warmth which moving bodies, even agitated liquids, natu- 

 rally generate, may be fuggefted as another advantage of 

 watering with running water. 



Thefe confideration» may, it is fuppofed, fufficiently ex- 

 plain the reafon for laying up cool flat lands into ridges for 

 the purpofe of watering. Experience has well afcertained, 

 it is faid, that where calcareous water, at leaft, is fpread over 

 a fufficiently (loping furface of grafs-land, the fuperaquatic 

 plants difappear, while the more nutritious graffcs luxuriate. 

 On the contrary, where the fame fort of water is fuifered to 

 loiter on a flat foil, lying upon a retentive bafe, the groffer 

 wet-land plants prevail. And further, that the fame or 

 fimilar water in its nature, thrown over the fame or a fimilar 

 fort of foil, with the fame turn of furface, but with a dry 

 abforbent bafe, produces luxuriant crops of valuable her- 

 bage. And, from long continued obfervations on fafts of 

 this nature, has doubtlefsly arifen, it is thought, the prefent 

 praflice of Wiltfhire and its neighbourhood. 



The work of raifing flat lands into water-mead ridges in 

 thefe cafes, is direfted to be performed in this manner. In 

 a fuitable fituation, where the ftream of water can be pro- 

 perly received to begin and mark out a plot of the green 

 fward, or land, of the proper length and breadth for the pur- 

 pofe. Then if to be done by the fpade, to roll back the 

 turf after it has been cut, and form the earth of the foil into 

 the proper (haped convex ridge, being careful in forming 

 it, to keep the bell of the mould conftantly toward the fur- 

 face, and leaving the opening on the ridge eight or nine 

 inches or more deep, and nearly level ; the end towards the 

 ftream being made fomewhat higher and rather wider than 

 the other, that the water may flow evenly over every part 

 of the ridge. The turf is then' to be returned, being careful 

 to replace it evenly and firmly along the fides of the trench 

 in the middle ; and cut a drain on each fide of the ridge thus 

 formed, with proper outlets to carry away the wafte water. 

 Lailly, raife a channel between the ground and the fource 

 of the water, to conduft it into the watering-trench ; and 

 continue to adjuft the ground until the well flow evenly over 

 every part of it. The moft proper forms, and the degrees 

 of convexity which are the mod fuitable in different cafes, 

 will be feen below. 



This work may be performed either with the fpade or with 

 the plough. The former is the more expenfive method, but 

 it is the more accurate, and fooner brings the improvement 

 to profit. By the fpade, the natural earth and foil are again 

 diftributed on the furface. By the plough much of them is 

 X buried 



