IRRIGATION. 
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cefs. The meadow had been many years watered by a 
fpring rifing juft above it from a barren fandy heath ; the 
foil near the furface was in home places a gravelly fand, 
in otliers a fpongy cork, both upon a ftrorig clay and fand 
mixture, which retained the draining of the lands above 
it. Whenever it had been wittered, and left to drain it- 
felf dry, a yeliowi(h-red water ftood in many parts, and 
oozed out of others; the herbage being no other than a 
poor, miferable, hairy, grafs, and fmall fedge. Chalk and 
afhes had been thrown over it to very little purpofe. It 
was then drained underground aflant all the different de- 
fcents, and all thefe drains carried into one large drain, 
which had been already cut for the purpofe of carrying 
off the water when the meadow was overflowed. Thefe 
drains were cut quite through the mixture of clay and 
fand, and as much deeper as the fall of the ground below 
would admit of; then, with chalk cut for the purpofe, 
fmall hollow drains were formed at the bottom of thefe; 
the drains were then filled up with the materials that came 
out. This was done in the beginning of fummer, and 
the work frequently examined through the feafon ; the 
foil was found firmer than before, and none of that nafty 
red water to be met with upon the furface, though it con¬ 
tinually oozed into the drains. In autumn the meadow 
was again prepared for irrigation, by repairing thofe 
trenches and drains that were properly fituated, and cut¬ 
ting others where wanted. The w'ater being then brought 
over it from the fame fpring as before, the event anfwered 
the moll fanguine w'ifhes of the proprietor; the effefts 
were vifible the firft year, and the ground has been con- 
ftantly improving ever fince. 
Mr. Bofwell alfo informs us, that a gentleman in Scot¬ 
land had applied to him for directions to water fome lands 
lying on the fides of hills, where the defcent is quick; 
and of which there are many in this country, as w'ell as in 
the north of England. It would be difficult to water fuch 
lands by means of drains and trenches according to the 
directions already given ; becaufe the bends in the trenches 
muft be very near together and large, as the water mull 
flow out of the trench above the bend to flow over the 
pane below it; the number and fize would likewife be in¬ 
convenient-, and greatly offend the eye. Lands of this 
lort are generally capable of being ploughed ; in which cafe 
our author directs them to be once ploughed in the fpring, 
and fown with oats or any other kind of grain that will 
rot the fward. When the grain is harvefted, plough the 
land acrofs; the laft ploughing with the Kentifh plough, 
which has a moveable mold-board, and is called a turn- 
wrijl plough. This turns the furrows down the fide of 
the hill, the horfes going forwards and backwards in the 
fame furrows. By this means the land is laid flat with 
out any open furrows in it; drefs it down in the fpring 
very fine, and fow it with oats, and mix with fome kinds 
of grafs feeds very thick. Thus the ground will have but 
few irregularities ; and as foon as the corn is carried off, 
or the following fpring at fartheft, the mains and drains 
may be cut out. 
For irrigating coarfe lands that are firm enough to bear 
the plough,' and fituated near a ftream, our author gives 
the following directions. “Let the land thus fituated be 
ploughed once in the fpring, and fown with any grain 
that will rot fward. As foon as the crop is off, plough it 
again, and leave it rough through the winter. Work it 
down early in the fpring, and plough it in the direc¬ 
tion the trenches are to lie, making the ridges of 
a proper fize for watering, ten or twelve yards wide for 
inftance; work it-fine; then gather the ridges up again 
in the fame manner, making the laft furrows of each ridge 
as deep as poffible. If the land be not fine, drefs ir down 
again, and gather it np a fecond time if neceflary; and 
■with a (hovel throw the earth from the edges of the fur¬ 
rows to the tops of. the ridges, to give the greateit poffi¬ 
ble defcent from the trench to the drain. Sow it with 
oats and grafs-feeds very thick ; and, after the corn is car¬ 
ried off, the trenches may be formed upon the top of each 
ridge, difperfmg the furrows with a fpade as much as the 
fall of the land will admit of for the drains; taking car® 
to procure fufficient fall, at all events, to drain the lands 
after they have been watered. By this method the crops 
of corn will nearly pay all the expence, and the land will 
be in excellent order.” 
After the work of watering a meadow is totally finiffi- 
ed, and the hay carried off, cattle may be let in to eat the. 
after-math. When this is done, it will then be neceflary 
to examine whether or not the mains have fuffered any 
injury from their feet; whether there be quantities of 
mud or fand collected at the angles, &c. all of which 
muft be thrown out, .and the breaches repaired ; by which 
means the trenches, drains, See. will laft three years, but 
otherwife not more than two. The roots, mud, Stc. may 
be ufed in repairing the breaches, but never left upon the 
fides of the trenches out of which they-are taken. The 
tail-drains require to be cleanfed oftener than any of the 
other works, for this obvious reafon, that the mud, &c. is 
carried down from all the others into them; where if it 
be allowed to accumulate, it occafions a ftagnation of wa¬ 
ter upon the meadow itfelf. In repairing the trenches, 
particular care ought to be taken that the workmen do 
not make them any wider than before, which they are 
very apt to do; neither are they to be allowed to throw 
the materials which they dig out in a ridge behind the 
edge of the trench, which both widens it and promotes 
weeds. 
During the time of irrigation, it will be neceflary to 
examine the meadow every two or three days, in order to 
to remove obftruftions, See. If the drains fliould be filled 
with water and run over, they ought to be made deeper; 
or, if this cannot be done, they Ihould be widened. In 
the winter-time a regular ftrong water fhould be kept, 
avoiding very great floods. In this feafon, the water may 
be kept on the ground with fafety for a month, or even 
fix weeks, if the foil be corky or boggy or a ftrong clay; 
but not quite fo long if it be gravel or fand. At the fe¬ 
cond watering, a fortnight or three weeks will be fuffi¬ 
cient; and, after Candlemas, a fortnight will be rather too 
long. At the third watering a week will be fufficient, 
which will bring it to about the middle of March; by 
which time, if the weather be tolerably mild, the grafs 
will be long enough for the ewes and lambs, or fatting- 
lambs ; which may then be turned into the meadow with 
great advantage. Even in the end of February, if the 
winter has been very mild, the grafs will be long enough 
for them. Here they may be permitted to feed till the 
beginning of May, changing them into different meadows. 
As foon as they are taken out, the water muft be turned 
in fora week, carefully examining every trench and drain 
for the reafons already given. The water is then to be 
ffiifted into others, alternately watering and draining, 
leffening the time the water remains upon it as the wea¬ 
ther grows warmer; and in five, fix, or feven, weeks, the 
grafs will be fit to be mown for hay, and produce from 
one to two tons, or even more, an acre upon good ground. 
Mr. Bofwell directs, that about a week before the grafs 
5 s to be mown the water ffioukl be let into the meadow 
for twenty-four hours; which, he fays, will make the 
ground moift at the bottom, the feythe will go through 
it the more eafily, and the grafs will be mown clofer to 
the ground. This practice, however, is entirely difap- 
proved of by Mr. Wright. “ Though it may prevail in 
Dorfetfhire (fays he), it is very feldom advilable, for the 
following reafons : Water made to run through a thick 
crop of grafs, though it may appear ever fo pure, will 
leave a certain quantity of adherent feum or • feditnent, 
which can never be feparated from the hay, but will ren¬ 
der it unpalatable, if not prejudical, to the cattle that eat 
ir. And this, wetting of the land and grafs will impede 
the drying or making of the hay perhaps fome days, Which 
in difficult feaions is of very great confequence ; and it 
will likewife make the turf too loft and tender to fupport 
the wheels of a loaded, waggon in carrying off the.hay. 
^ . Befidesj. 
