Preparing land for irrigation and methods of applying water . in diameter and 5 to10 feet high can be removed in no other way. But if such heaps of 17 earth are numerous their removal will not be profitable for ordinarycrops. Land of this character has been leveled with the scraper at anaverage cost of $3 to $5 per acre. No attempt is made to have theland perfectly level: the farmers are satisfied with a uniform slope. * THE RECTANGULAR LEVELER. Land on which the hummocks are more or less uniform in size canbe more cheaply and quickly leveled by means other than the use ofthe scraper. An imple
Preparing land for irrigation and methods of applying water . in diameter and 5 to10 feet high can be removed in no other way. But if such heaps of 17 earth are numerous their removal will not be profitable for ordinarycrops. Land of this character has been leveled with the scraper at anaverage cost of $3 to $5 per acre. No attempt is made to have theland perfectly level: the farmers are satisfied with a uniform slope. * THE RECTANGULAR LEVELER. Land on which the hummocks are more or less uniform in size canbe more cheaply and quickly leveled by means other than the use ofthe scraper. An implement in favor in Imperial Valley for the reduc-tion of these hummocks is a rectangular leveler. This machine (fig. 1) islarge and strong enough to remove hummocks, shrubs, roots, and is a rectangular frame 30 feet long and 12 feet wide made of 1 by12 inch timbers, preferably Oregon pine. The 12-foot timbers, sixin number and 6 feet apart, except No. 4, are spiked or bolted to the30-foot side timbers and have iron tightening rods beside them. Scraper. ^?4* 12 Fig. 1.—Rectangular leveler. No. 1 is attached to hangers in such a way as to be moved up and downby a lever. Each crosspiece is shod on the wearing side with plates ofsteel | inch by 6 inches; thus each acts as a scraper. The machineweighs 1,600 to 2,000 pounds. It is drawn by 16 horses attached bychains and eveners to the ends of the side timbers. Cross braces of2 by 6 inch timbers give rigidity against strains in drawing andturning. The lever is shown in the upper part of figure 1. The machine is practically six levelers, each made more effective bythe total weight including the operators. The large chains ai d evenersby which the team is attached are of no small value in preparing theway. If the hummock is capped with brush the tops are broken by theeveners, the stems are scattered, and the earth is loosened. The firstleveler carries before it and gradually crushes most of the brush andremoves the top of the kn
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