DITCH, a common fence or enclosure in marshes, or other wet land where there are no hedges. They allow these ditches six feet wide against highways that are broad; and against commons, five feet. But the common ditches about enclosures, dug at the bottom of the bank on which the quick is raised, are three feet wide at the top, one at the bottom, and two feet deep. By this means each side has a slope, which is of great advantage; for where this is neglected, and the ditches dug perpendicular, the sides are always washing down: besides, in a narrow-bottomed ditch, if cattle get down into it, they cannot stand to turn themselves to crop the quick: but where the ditch is four feet wide, it should be two and a half deep: and where it is five wide, it should be three deep; and so in proportion.