Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-03-19
HILLSIDE DITCHING.

Mr. EDITOR: our .Salntatory 10 your
contributors, the communications from So.
Ion and Alabama, all meet with my hearty
approval. And ifI may be allowed the
honor Of calling myself, an honorable cor
respondent, l am willing to do all in my
power to carry out the suggestions above
referred TO- And allow me to say to Ala.
bama, i thank him most kindly for his ad
vice, andsa l. am, not like David, claiming
"perfeetion" for my mode Of, either plant.
ing or cultivating corn, will heed bis ad'.
vice. ! am but a babe in planting, but hon.
estly ain search Of light" upon the subject
Of farming. =. -
Upon the subject of.+hill.side ditching"
there has been SO much "said and written"
and that too, SO much more ably said than
what | can, say, that it is with no small de-
gree Of :timidity- that approach the subject.
And All will attempt is.o give you the re-
suits of all experiment. -,
'..1l2ls53, (the first year Of my farming
since was boy,) l cut my first ditch. The
first time had IT, eleanedTout, discovered
that in slI low. places in the ditch, there was
an.inch or two deep of a darker colored
soil than that on the top in the ditch. had
some of thi8 soil, or dark colored dirt in the
hottom of the ditch put around the hills oil
the. corn and cotton, near the places where
this dirt was deposited was astonish.
ed to see the difference it made in the ap-
pearance Of the corn and cotton around
whichit was placed. This fact caused me
to try The experiment which ! will now give
YOU. Ihad q field about 80 rods long; near
the centre there was a considerable hill
which was badly washed. With the excep.
tons of the hill, the field is Of soft gray
soil, resting .ppon a clay sub.soil. In order
that the bitches might empty themselves into
large gully, which ran across the field,
about twenty rods from the hill, had to
run them on the side of this hill From the
head Of my bitches, to, the bill was about
one hundred ysrds-passing through soft
grew land | gave them inches fall 10 every
IS feet, when struck the red hill, the first
Is feet gave inches fall, the balance of
the way over the hill, gave d inches fall,
until came to the last 80 feet, before came
to the grey soil; the first Is feet Of the last 30,
run upon level. The second Is feet Of the
last 80, gave Q inches rise. After passing
the hill, l resumed the usual grade of 8 inch
es, in all Is feet. The bitches over the hill
Ihad cut much wider than usual-and smooth
aud level on the bottom. My reason for
cutting my bitches after this manner is this.
BY cutting them vide, ! get more dirt with
which can make the lower side OF my
bitches so high that they will not overflow,
consequently they seldom break over, and
having them fiat on the bottom, can clean
them out much easier. By the grade | give
them, they form sort Of trough, (so to
.speak) which collects during the year a much
larger quantity Of soil, and sand than any
one will believe, unless they have seen it
tried After every washing rain, make it
point to have the bitches, that pass over
the hill, cleaned out, and the settings in the
ditch scattered broad cast over the beds be.
tween the bitches. By this plan Of opera.
ton, my poor worn out hill, that three years
ago, would not have yielded FIVE pecks Of
corn per acre, this year brought me over FIVE
hundred pounds of cotton. And, besides
the settings, all The manure | gave it was a
covering of leaves fresh from the forest.
which turned under the first Of January,
sub. soiled it every spring deep. But for
selling ont my farm the past winter should
have made some further experiments. AS
it is, will offer them as suggestions only,
and they can pass for what they are worth
While most cbeerfully admit, that the
present mode Of ditching has been OF incal.
.calable benefit TO the agricultural world, |
am at the same time honestly of the opin.
ion, that there can and will be vast improve
nments made, and that too in a few years,
upon the present mode. A great many per.
sons seem to think, that all the benefits to
be derived from grade bitches is simply to
carry off the excess of water, which falls
during a heavy shower. This I admit is q
sufficient remuneration for the labor bestow.
cd in digging them. Now, if they can be
made to contribute a small share only, in
improving our worn lands, they will be of
stiI greater benefit to the farmer. In run.
ming our bitches, we endeavor TO give them
such grade, as will not only carry off the
excess of water, but will clear themselves,
as we express it, leaving no sand or soil in
their bottoms. Upon this old mode Of ditch
ing, with due difference to the opinions of
others, most humbly suggest, what think,
an Improvement By the old mode, we
lose ali the settings, of soil or sand, which
now run off in, the bitches. Now if we
could have our bitches so graded and cut, as
not only to carry otfsthe e1cesssd water,
Int to collect in their bottoms, a large por-
ton OF the soil and sand which flow into
them, and have those deposits scattered along
in the bitches, where they pass through the
paulded spots and red bills, and then have
the same deposits scattered carefully, over
those sterile spots, would it not be greatly
to our interest to do sol think so. Sand
is of itself worthless, when left to itself;
but when put upon red, worn land it lie of
great benefit. ). Suppose we have field bad
" worn. Red, barren hill:sides stare US in
the face every step we take, while passing
through it; and by the by, slight too COM
mon to be seen in Georgia. With such
field. in what way would you locate, and
cut your bitches, so as to improve this field
the most rapidlya That now is the main
question for Ms to decide, and act upon.
First: I am strong advocate for long ditch.
es By close observation, you will find that
.be water which flows through a long ditch
leaves the ditch much cleaner than when it
leaves short enc, both passing through the
same kind of soil consequently there will
of oond pniI Hyc