134 MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 



water was from twelve to fifteen inches deep on the meadow. 

 It was covered with cranberry vines, bushes, hassocks, and 

 coarse wild grass. In 1840, thinking I had worked in the 

 water long enough, I dug a ditch from the lower end of the 

 meadow, three to four feet deep and fifteen rods long, through 

 hard gravel. Since that time, I have commenced ditching 

 around the meadow ; some parts of the ditches are through a 

 rocky and gravelly soil, the mud varying from a foot to three 

 feet in depth. 



In 1848 I commenced bogging, and worked about an acre of 

 the meadow into beds, and planted it with corn and potatoes, 

 without any manure ; the crop was light. I sowed this piece, 

 in 1849, to oats, which grew well. I also, last year, bogged 

 the remainder of the meadow into beds, about two rods in 

 width each, and planted a part of it with corn and potatoes ; 

 the corn was stout. This year the most of the land is planted 

 with corn and potatoes, without manure. 



Acton, Sept., 1850. 



[Statements of Elbridge G. Hayden, as to his reclaimed 

 meadow, were published in the Transactiotis of Agricultural 

 Societies, for 1848 and 1849.] 



Orchards. 



Asa G. Sheldoii's Statement. 



In 1840 I set out 158 apple trees, one year's growth from the 

 bud. The season proved very dry, and the trees began to 

 wilt. I set my son, with a horse, drag, and large tub, drawing 

 water from a pond and watering them. The labor cost about 

 seventy-five cents per day. This leaves continued to wilt. I 

 then took brakes and wild grass from low lands, and, early in 

 the morning, with the dew on them, placed them about the 

 trees. The first night after this was done, the leaves came out 

 smooth, and wilted no more. 



In the fall of the year, I removed the remains of the brakes 

 and wild grass. I then put about each tree from six to ten 



