60 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
portant service to the country. A few energetic men in 
a county to take the lead, are sufficient to establish and 
maintain an association of a most useful character. Fre- 
quent discussions between neighbors pursuing the same 
occupation prompts them to read and think much m'ore 
than they would without incentives. Useful experiments 
will be tried, and additional pains taken to confirm or re- 
fute the favorite theories of differing members of the so- 
ciety. They will soon feel the want of a good profession- 
al library, and wisely unite their contributions to pur- 
chase the same. 
In reference to geology in its connection with agricul- 
ture, tne small work of Dr. Hitchcock, President of Am- 
herst College, is best adapted to popular use. Its retail 
price is, we believe, but a dollar. Lyell’s Elements of 
Geology is a larger and more elaborate work which may 
be read with equal interest and profit. A first class text- 
book on Agricultural Geology has yet to be written in the 
English language ; nor have geological phenomena been 
investigated in their bearing on the soil and subsoil, as 
extensively and critically as the importance of the subject 
deraeinds. All superficial investigations are nearly value- 
less. L- 
DITCHING LOW, WET BOTTOM LANDS. 
LETTER FROM MR. GRANT, 
Messrs. Editors— -I see in the June [1854] number of 
the Southern Cultivator a letter from Mr. John Farrar, of 
Atlanta, Ga., recommending the bringing into cultivation 
creek bottoms and branch lands, which I am attempting 
to do and not having been accustomed to doing such work 
it would be of great advantage if I could, through your 
valuable paper or by letter from the gentleman himself, 
get his views in full on the subject of ditching and drain- 
ing low or bottom lands. As he remarked in his letter he 
could write a good deal more, I would be glad to have a 
full detail on the subject of draining bottom land. 
Yours respectfully, W, N, Grant. 
Jasper Co. Texas, 1854. 
Messrs, Editors — The letter of Mr. Grant, of Texas, 
to you, requesting information on the subject of ditching 
creek and branch bottoms is received. I suppose you for- 
warded his request to me, mainly on account of his mak- 
ing mention of me and of my letter in the June number of 
the Cultivator. Could I give Mr. Grant such informa- 
tion as he desires it would afford me pleasure. To give 
general instructions on this subject would be an easy mat- 
ter in some men’s hands— such as have ideas and words 
suited to express their theory and practice in such matters. 
I consider myself but little favored with such gifts, I will, 
in the first place, say to Mr. Grant that by close observa- 
tion and a little practice he will be better informed on this 
subject than he will be by any instructions I can give him 
in writing. If I were on his lands and could take a sur- 
vey of his bottoms, I could give him more information and 
advance ideas that he would better understand in one hour 
than I can by a half dozen written communications. The 
most important consideration on the subject of ditching is, 
first, a proper location ; next, a proper width and depth 
for each ditch, always having an eye to the quantity of 
water that may be expected at any time. In nine cases 
out of ten it is the surest plan to run the main ditch in the 
lowest part of the bottom. In many bottoms there will be 
springy wet places after the main diteh is made. In such 
cases there must be drain ditches made, running into the 
main one, and these should be made what is called blind 
ditches. This is done by cutting them of sufficient depth, 
say two and a half to three feet deep, and one and a half to 
two feet wide. The cheapest and quickest plan for mak- 
ing the drain where poles can be had plenty, is to get 
them of proper size, place one QP each side on the bottom 
of the ditch and place the third pole on top of those two; if 
the poles be of the right size there will be cavity or space 
sufficient to drain all the water that will come into the 
ditch. This being done, take small brush, &c., put it on 
the poles, chop it so as to make it lie close, then fill up 
the ditch with the dirt that was taken out and you have a 
blind ditch ; the land can then be cultivated as well as if 
the ditches were not there. 
It requires a great deal of ditching to dry some spots of 
land so as to make them productive. I have known 400 
yards of blind ditch on a half acre before it could be 
thoroughly drained ; but this is running an expense for 
improvement higher than is advisable in most cases. In 
many bottoms after the main ditch is made on the lowest 
part there must be a ditch made on each side at the lower 
edge of the hill to keep the hill side water from the bottom ; 
and for another purpose, they cut off the drainings of 
springy, wet places which are frequently found at the 
edge of hills. The word is, when a man undertakes to re- 
claim bottom land and put it in a profitable state of culti- 
vation, he must not stop before he puts in as many ditches- 
as may be required ; he then may, with some propriety, 
expect to be rewarded for his labor. The size of a ditch de-. 
pends not a little on the fall it may have — a ditch where 
there can be but little fall obtained must be wider in pro- 
portion to the less fall it may have. Where there is con- 
siderable fall for a ditch there need be be no great concern 
how it is made, if it be straight ; for if the roots and other 
obstructions be kept cleaned out of the way it will not be 
a great while before it will be as large as the owner will 
wish it. In laying out a location for a ditch it should be 
as straight as circumstances will admit — avoid sudden, 
curves or crooks. 
To give an idea of the size of a ditch, I have one now in 
progress 8 feet wide and wish to get it near 4 feet deep, if 
the fall will admit of that much. The surplus rain water 
that falls on some 200 acres of land, and but little broken, 
will have to pass off by this ditch. I am one that does 
not hire Irishmen or any other hands to ditch. Any fel- 
low that can use a hoe or an axe can be learned to ditch 
in a few hours. First stick stakes in a line for the ditch, 
then a line 15 or 20 yards long with a peg to eacii end \ 
peg down the line tight on the line with the stakes ; mark 
this down with the spade; then measure the width you 
wish the ditch from each peg line down on that side ; then 
put the line out of the "^ay, and there is no further use for 
it before this part of the ditch is made and you are ready 
to lay off another length of line, A spade, a long or a 
short handled shovel, an axe and a mattock are all the 
tools that are wanted for ditching. A long handled shovel 
is preferable to the short — they work with more ease and 
a hand can do more with them. The spade and shovel 
should be of the best kind — these are much the cheapest 
in the end. Ames’ best shovel (steel) are the best I am 
acquainted with. The spade should be No. 3, of the best 
pattern. I am in fiivor of the best tools in all cases for 
plantation purposes, and I know from experience that 
there is nothing lost, notwithstanding they cost a little 
more at first. 
I have written as much, Messrs. Editors, as I can think 
of on this subject, that will be of any interest to the readers 
of your paper. Yours very respectfully, 
John Farrar. 
Atlanta, Ga., 1854. 
Transplanting Evergreens. — The roots, while out of 
the ground, should be kept moist, and they should never j 
for a moment even, become dried during the process of 
transplanting. Hence, a rainy day is recommended, in, 
all cases, especially where the roots are denuded. 
