same the second year, and the third year oats, pease and oats, 

 rye or wheat, with grass. Where broom corn is planted, it 

 generally follows a crop of Indian corn ; and is continued often 

 two or more years on the same land. The annual deposits 

 made upon these lands by the flood are not of great advantage, 

 and the fertility of the soil can by no means be kept up with- 

 out manure. 



The low alluvial lands on the Deerfield meadows, essentially 

 differ from these from a circumstance already alluded to. The 

 waters on the low Deerfield meadows are set back from the 

 great river, and remain comparatively quiet ; and in addition 

 to this, the banks and hills bordering the Deerfield and its trib- 

 utaries are more steep in general than those on the Connecticut. 

 Much more enriching matter is thus brought down from them 

 to the river in times of rain and freshets. These lands, there- 

 fore, annually and commonly oftener over-flowed, constituting 

 the lowest meadows on the Deerfield river, are never ploughed. 

 They require no manure ; and being entirely alluvial and re- 

 ceiving the richest deposits, are of extraordinary and inexhaust- 

 ible fertility. These meadows are always mowed twice ; in 

 some cases, three times ; and the annual yield is generally es- 

 timated at three tons to the acre. The hay on these meadows 

 is of a very fine quality, known there familiarly as the Eng- 

 lish bent (agrostis alba). It is a natural grass, and forms a 

 fine and impervious sward. 



The upland intervales on the Deerfield, are devoted to culti- 

 vation ; and most of this land is seldom sufl"ered to rest. For 

 hay, the main dependence is upon the low flooded meadows ; 

 and those low and uneven portions, which it is difiicult to reach 

 with the plough. 



An example has been given to me of the product of one of 

 these low meadows in Deerfield containing nine acres, at a 

 place called Old Fort. 

 The first crop of hay was, .... 25,325 lbs. 



" second crop, 15,120 



40,445 lbs. 



