VoL. IL 
AUGUSTA, GA., JANUARY 10, 1844. 
No. 1. 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
Sanforbville, Putnam County, ) 
January 1, 1844. ) 
Mr. Editer — As the time for ditching hill- 
sides is fast approaching, (the proper time being 
Irom the first of February to the first of April^ 
when the earth is soft to any desirable depth,) I 
shall undertake to comply with Jiiy promise to 
your correspondent of Newnan, who desires 
that I should give my mode of ditching, with all 
the practical information I am possessed of on 
that subject. The subject is one of so much 
importance to planters and farmers of any hilly 
country, (particularly one of thin soil,) that I 
am inclintdto shrink from my promise, fearing 
I shall fail to do it that justice it so much de- 
mands. But if 1 shall be able to give any in- 
structions to the readers ol your paper, on a sub- 
ject that they should be so deeply interested in, 
as that ol ditching their hill-sides to prevent 
what soil we have left from washing ofl^, I shall 
consider the time consumed in writing, as well 
as from other considerations, well spent. Let 
me assure your correspondent, as well as all the 
readers of your paper, that all the practical in- 
formation 1 am in possession of, in every branch 
of husbandry, both in and out doors, appertain- 
ing to our domestic concerns as planters and 
farmers, is at their service; although I am 
ready to acknowledge that I am like most other 
planters in the management ol my plantation 
afiairs, viz: I know a great deal better how 
things should be, than I have them in general. 
I shall not pretend to claim the honor of con- 
ceiving an idea which has, and will, confer 
such lasting benefits on the planting and farm- 
ing interest of our country as that of ditching 
hill-sides; that belongs to some one of greater 
forethought than myself. But so far as I know, 
I am the first that introduced it in this section 
of the State, and the first to put it in practice in 
any thing like a scientific manner; though my 
date goes no farther back than ten years. I 
brought the theory, as well as a little practice, 
with me when I moved from Virginia in 1832. 
The first ditching I done in this State, was a 
small hill-side, of 4 or 5 acres, then partly in 
gullies, and had it not been improved, and the 
former mode of cultivatio i been persevered in, 
before this the little soil left would have been 
gone, and it would now be worthless. But I 
have the pleasure to inform you, that it is now 
almost entirely clear of gullies, and some parts 
of it are more productive than when I first 
ditched it. This, however, is owing to several 
sprinklings of manure it has been treated to, 
I 
I have ditched more or less every spring for 
the last ten years, and yet have more to do the 
coming one than I have ever done in any one 
season. This is partly owing to an addition to 
my farm — which is all quite broken. Indeed, 
there aie but few acres, if they were all to- 
gether, that would not be benefited by ditching. 
The spirit of ditching is considerably on the 
increase in this section; but I am soriy to see 
so little of what is done, well done. We often 
hear it remarked about matters pertaining to 
our plantation afiairs, that any thing well done, 
was worth more than being half done twice. 
This is strictly true in reference to ditching, 
which, once thoroughly don«, is of more benefit 
than a dozen times pan ially or half done. I 
have seen the bad effects, and have felt the 
smart, for half doing things, and in nothing 
more forcibly (that I now recollect) than that of 
ditching. A half made ditch will do for dry 
weather, or for light rains, but when such rains 
as we frequently have in this latitude fall, those 
who have half made ditches will find them, on 
examination after the rain, destroyed by the 
water that had collected in them, and the land 
worse off, in many places, than if there had 
never been a ditch. 
Perhaps my friend of Newnan will become 
impatient at reading this communication be- 
fore he comes to the descriptive part, or that 
giving my plan of ditching. I will, therefore, 
make that the next thing for his consideration, 
with the hope that he will receive some benefit, 
ol which I have no doubt, if he will but prac- 
tice upon my suggestions. 
In the first place, I have a level made similar 
to the one described by Mr. Hunt in the South- 
ern Cultivator some ti ue last spring, perhaps 
in April, only mine strides but 10 feet, with a 
cross piece about half way from the top to the 
ground. One of the size of mine is more han- 
dy than one that strides fifteen feet. The fall 
given to a ditch is tu o inches every ten feet; 
though in locating a ditch, one should not be 
governed by his plum line at every stride, as it 
is advisable, in some instances, to cut the ditch 
deeper in some places than others, so as to form 
it in the best shape that the location will admit 
of, and to prevent sudden curves. I have my 
ditches cut from 15 to 20 inches wide at the top, 
and at least 12 inches deep, with a square bot- 
tom of at least 12 inches wide; throwing all the 
dirt on the lower side, to form a bank on the 
margin of the ditch. This is done by first 
marking off the place where the ditch is to be 
made, by a boy with a hoe, making a chop at 
every stride of the level; then with a good plow 
and plowman, the horse being led on the marks 
for the first furrow; after that running 4 or 5 oth- 
er furrows as deep as possible; all the loose 
dirt is then removed with hoes, and the horse and 
plow is again used for a second plowing, and 
continue the process until the ditch be made the 
requisite depth. Some of my ditches are not 
more than 30 or 40 feet apart; but these are on 
hill-sides that are very steep. Where hill-sides 
are of a gradual descent, a ditch for every 30 or 
40 yards, and, in some instances, 40 or 50 yards, 
is sufficient. But as regards the distance be- 
tween the ditches, the person who locates them 
must exercise his judgment in that particular, 
and should not be too fearful of getting them 
too near together. When rows are to be run 
off for planting corn or cotton, there must be 
judgment exercised in deciding on which side 
the short rows, if it is likely there will be any, 
which is most always the case between the 
ditches, whether the situation of the land be- 
tween the ditches requires that the short rows be 
thrown above or below a ditch; always com- 
mence running off rows parallel with one ditch 
or the other. Mr. Hunt, in his communication 
on the subject, directed that the rows should be 
run off parallel with each ditch, so as to throw 
the short rows, if any, in the centre. I think 
this is a bad idea, for if there should be many 
short rows, and there frequently are, and some- 
times at some distance from where the ditches 
empty their water, in such cases, in a great fall 
of rain, those short rows would catch a grea 
deal of water, which would collect in a body 
and make its escape, forming a gully till it got 
to a ditch or some outlet. Ditches, alter being 
made, must be carefully attended to and kept 
well cleaned out; nor should the grass and 
weeds be permitted to grow up and fall in them 
so as to obstruct the passage of water, and, in 
some cases, do serious damage to the land be- 
low. The cleaning out of ditches, after being 
well made, is but a light job. If much litter, 
dirt, &c. collect in them, run up and down with 
a plow to losen every thing that should be taken 
out; it is then easily removed with the hoe. 
One of the difficulties in ditching, is to obtain 
a suitable situation to empty the ditches, to 
course tne water out of the field or plantation. 
When there is a branch running through a 
field, that is a suitable place for that purpose; in 
ot er cases, a field that has a long hollow across 
it, perhaps a gully already made, that is a place 
to empty in; and sometimes it is best to make a 
ditch to empty others in; and it is best, in mos 
cases, to commence laying 05* a ditch where the 
water is intended to be emptied, and where this 
ditch is long, it requires to be made more sub- 
