DRAINING MY OWN, 63 



from the railroad, on which their buildings are located 

 and which forms my eastern boundary. My stony, 

 gravelly upland mainly slopes to the west ; but two 

 acres on my east line incline toward the road which 

 bounds me in that direction, while two more on my 

 south-east corner descend to the little brook which, 

 entering at that corner, keeps irregularly near my 

 south line, until it emerges, swelled by a smaller run- 

 nel that enters my lowland from the north and tra- 

 verses it to meet and pass off with the larger brook- 

 let aforesaid. I have done some draining, to no great 

 purpose, on the more level portions of my upland ; 

 but my lowland has challenged my best efforts in 

 this line, and I shall here explain them, for the en- 

 couragement and possible guidance of novices in 

 draining. Let me speak first of 



My Difficulties. This marsh or bog consisted, 

 when I first grappled with it, of some thirty acres, 

 whereof I then owned less than a third. To drain it 

 to advantage, one person should own it all, or the 

 different owners should cooperate ; but I had to go 

 it alone, with no other aid than a freely accorded 

 privilege of .straightening as well as deepening the 

 brook which wound its way through the dryer mea- 

 dow just below me, forming here the boundary of 

 two adjacent farms. I spent $100 on this job, 

 which is still imperfect ; but the first decided fall in 

 the stream occurs nearly a mile below me ; and you 

 tire easily of doing at your own cost work which 

 benefits several others as much as yourself. My 



