Ditch

Ditch, in Agriculture, is a trench usually made along the sides of fields, so that all the drains may be led into it, or along the top of a field to divert surface water. A hedge is often planted along the side, and the two form a better fence for cattle. In cold undrained lands, the earth thrown out of the trench forms a mound of dry earth, which is particularly serviceable for the growth of thorn-hedges. Accordingly, this is the common mode adopted in planting hedges in such districts, where the subsoil is often close, tenacious, and not well suited for their growth. Various forms of ditches are made; sometimes a double ditch is adopted, and the hedge planted between. In arable lands, however, since the general use of small and large pipes, ditches have in many cases been converted into underground drains, which has effected a great saving of land, as well as giving to the fields a tidy appearance, and often a more convenient form. See DRAINAGE.