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ly by the conduit, and flow gently in upon the field till it rifes to the fame height with the river. And, when it is as high as he inclines, he may fhut the inner-fluice, which will detain the whole of the water in the field as long as he fhall think proper; and, when the river is fallen in, and the water has depofited its fediment, he may open the fluice and let it run off at leifure.

In this manner, these fields may be richly impregnated, and kept in high order, with the greatest ease to the farmer, inftead of having the crops of them frequently destroyed, and the finest mold washed away, as is usual, by the ordinary way of management.

But, although this method of admitting the water might answer very well in those fituations where the ground is fo low as to be confiderably below the surface of the water in the river in ordinary inundations; yet, to fuch as lie fo high as to be above the level of the water, excepting upon very extraor

dinary

dinary occafions, it could be of very little fervice. And, as it will always be of great ufe, on every occafion of this fort, to cover the field to as great a depth of water as poffible; it will, in general, be prudent, in every man who means to avail himself of this circumftance, to introduce the water to his fields in the following manner,

As every river flows downwards in its course in a leffer or greater degree, it is in the power of any one who chufes it, to raise a small current of water drawn from the river, to fome height above the level of its surface, at any particular place, merely by cutting a tract for it upon the bank, and making it flow in a bed nearer a horizontal direction than that of the river, as we fee daily practifed with regard to mill-leads, (mill-races,) &c.

Now, with regard to the prefent cafe, it may be in general in the power of those who

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wish to make an improvement of this kind, to take off a small water-course so far up the river, as to be able to raise it to a height equal with the top of the bank that is raised for fencing his fields. And, if this can be done, it would be the easiest thing imaginable to form a fmall hollow on the top of the bank when first made, as at A, (Fig. 18th,) to ferve as a bed for this small stream of water to run in when it fhould be found neceffary. And, by having a fluice upon the upper part of this canal, to open or fhut at pleasure, the water might be admitted into it when, and only when the poffeffor of it fhould incline. And, if there was a particular fluice that opened from this canal into each of the fields, it would be in his power to throw it upon any one of these at any time that he faw proper, and raise it as high in it as the top of the bank, if he chofe it.

I decline enumerating any more of the advantages that would attend this practice, as

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these must appear obvious at first fight. It is only neceffary for me here to take notice, that, if the banks which form the boundaries of these inclosures are not made very thick and strong, as was already advised, they would be altogether infufficient for bearing the preffure of fuch a body of water as is fuppofed to be fometimes contained in fome of thefe, while the other fields around them are empty. On which account they ought, in general, to be made of a triangular form, (as in Fig. 19th.)

Those who may not have the convenience of being able to bring the water, as here described, may frequently have it in their power to lay thefe fields under water when, or to what depth they may incline, by diverting from its right course, any rill that may fall from higher ground near them, and introducing it into the field, when fwelled with rain.

§ XXXIII.

§ XXXIII.

Of Fencing and Securing flat Meadow-grounds from the Danger of being drowned, or of floating them at pleasure.

Befides the level grounds on the banks of rivers juft now defcribed as apt to be hurt by extraneous water, there are many large tracts of ground of another kind to be met with, that are in as great danger of receiving damage from this cause as the former. These confift of low level grounds lying in a bottom furrounded with higher ground, from which the descent is fo inconfiderable as not to allow the water to flow away from them. fo fast as it comes upon them during the continuance of violent rains; which fubjects them to the disagreeable inconvenience of

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