ft ops will be wanted more or fewer in number, according as thereis much or little descent in the floating gutters : indeed, I havealways found it best to leave some fast places both in the feed-ers and gutters, where there is descent to require them. Theseportions of fast land left, may be about one foot thick in the gut-ters, but in the feeder stronger, from two to three feet thick, ac-cording to the size of the feeder. When there is nothing leftin for stops as above, the defect must be supplied by driving instakes in the feeder, and putting in boards or sods before them,to check and raise the water to the height you want it; also sodsmust be put into the floating gutters for the same purpose.Without stops, the water would all flow to the lowest end of yourwork, and there run out too deep, while the higher parts of themeadow would remain dry. Notches are commonly used, at first,in letting out the water from the feeders and gutters over thebeds ; but when the sides become older and firmer, it may bemade to flow over them. The breadth of the beds, to be right,should not exceed 10 or 12 yards, or even 8 would be still bet-ter, if the piece of ground floated be small, and abundance ofwater at command ; but 12 is a very good size. However, asthe most part of the land that lies within reach of water in theNorth of Scotland hath been formerly ploughed, and left in ridgesraised from a foot to eighteen inches high, you have no alterna-tive but to take the breadth of the ridges as they are, whichshould always be done if it is old swarded grass, and the ridg-es tolerably regular, and not less than 8 or 10 yards wide ; butif they are less than 8 yards wide, it is.best, in general, toput two into one, either with the spade or the plough. Thelength of a division of floating gutters should never exceed about100 yards in the ridges or beds; because, if they are too long, itmakes the water more intricate to size; and, if the stream befluctuating when the water falls in, the upper parts of the bedswill be dry'. Indeed, sometimes the ridges or pieces to be float-ed do not exceed 110 or 120 yards in length altogether; inthat case, it would be rather too short to cut into two lengths;But when the ridge or land is 180 or 200 yards long, (or a fewmore or less), it is always best to cut it into two lengths, andif much longer, into three ; and so on, if they are more. If theridges are less than 100 yards long, take them as they are ; thereis no matter. All floating is the better of a descent, from thecrown of the ridge to the furrow, of from one inch in a yard, totwo inches. This must be attended to if the land is to be formedinto beds with the spade or the plough ; but where it is in pro-per ridges before, they may be taker, as they are, be the descentless or greater than as above. If the land be plain ground, thestuff that is taken out of the drains must be laid at the back ofthe floating gutters ; which, in time, with the cleanings of thegutters and manure deposited by the water, raises even flat ground
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