From page 16
the stakes.
Have an assistant hold one
stake in a vertical position on
one side of the field in which
you wish to establish a
contour line while you take
the other end to the other
side of the field. It doesn't
matter what happens to the
hose in between ~ it can
curve and loop over itself ~
so long as its length is lower
than both ends.
Hold your stake vertical with
the end touching the ground.
Now have your assistant pour
water into the hose. If your
end is lower than the
assistant's water will gush out
as the hose fills.
Walk uphill till the gushing
stops. At this point both ends
of the hose are on the same
contour.
Walking further uphill will
result in the level of the water
in your end dropping in the
hose, and water beginning to
gush out at the assistant's end.
If you intend to cultivate the
field all tractor work, eg
ripping, ploughing, etc,
should take place following a
level line between these two
points (and others similarly
PLANNING
your field,
you will use
the line
between
these two
points to
dig out a
shallow
trench,
throwing
Hosepipe ends attached to two droppers of even length.
the dug out
established up both
soil into a heap on the lower
sides of the field).
side. Depending on the size
If you wish to establish
of the field and its slope, this
permaculture-like water
can be repeated two or three
conservation measures in
times following similar
17
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contours.
The dug-out soil banks should
be smoothed off and sown
with your preferred grass seed
to stabilise the soil.
Called swales, these shallow
trenches will catch and store
the rainwater run-off that
would otherwise be lost. As a
result, the channels will grow
additional vegetation and can
even be planted with shadegiving trees and shrubs which
will benefit by the trapped
rainwater.