136
Agkicllture on the rhine.
breadth of 20 feet, so that each slope has a breadth of
10 feet. The ridges are 60 feet in length. Stakes are
driven at the openings of the transversal cuts, which are
levelled, and the draining conduit must then be marked
out and stakes fixed at the points. The fall does not
exceed 1 foot in a length of 63 feet. With the aid of
the last stakes parallel cuttings are made in a transversal
direction from the draining conduit in the direction of
the distributing channel, but stopping at some distance
short of the latter. The bottom of these cuttings is
sloped, being 5 inches higher than the level of the
draining conduit. The cuttings divide the ridges and
serve as drains. Between them the ground is raised in
the middle so as to slope towards each draining canal,
the upper part of the ridge being kept high enough to
carry an irrigating canal which takes the water at the
level of the distributing canal, and carries it with a slope
of 5 inches to the draining canal. When this canal is
full and overflows, the water runs into the lower cutting,
and thence into the lower drain, in the bottom of which
there is also a slope of 6 inches.
At the lower end of every ridge the surface presents
the appearance of a triangle.
Irrigation with broad Ridges.
In a meadow laid down near Keppel with broad
ridges, the water in the brook that supplies the main
canal is scanty in summer, and is applied to turning the
wheels of some steel-w orks. The main canal is 4 feet
broad, 1⅜ foot deep, and has a fall at bottom of ∣ inch in
soft. The dam is 3 feet broad, and the sluiced cuttings
AGKICUbTDBE ON THE BHINE. 137
through it are each 1 foot broad. The horizontal distri-
buting canal is 2 feet broad and ⅜ foot deep. The ridge-
cuttings that issue from it are 90 feet long ; at the
mouth they are 1⅜ foot, and 1 foot broad, with a depth of
5 inches. The width of each ridge is 60 feet, conse-
quently each bed or slope is 30 feet broad.
In order to diminish the size of the intervals between
the cuttings transversal canals are carried across the
beds.
The drain-cuttings have a fall at the surface of only
3 inches, but at bottom of 5 inches, being 4 inches deep
and 8 inches broad, and 6 inches deep and 1 foot
broad. In this meadow the chief drain serves as a dis-
tributing canal for a meadow situated below and adjacent
to it.
In a meadow laid out by M. Vorliinder in such a
manner as to combine the terrace plan applied to the
more elevated part with the narrow ridge system, the
drain canals serve as distributing canals for the meadows
situated below them. In a large meadow near Keppel,
by a skilful adoption of the various modes of laying down
the surface, the same water is carried over eight different
plots of land in succession.
The instruments principally used at Siegen by the
meadow-owners are—
Fig. 1, A, an axe of peculiar construction for making
a sharp perpendicular cut in the turf either for raising
sods or for cutting canals. The point at the back of the
blade is intended to balance it and to give weight and
precision to the cut. The edge is of steel and is ground
sharp. The price of the axe is one dollar, or three
shillings.