32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



during July and August, when thousands of acres of planted 

 lands in the State were flooded, — these floods in many cases 

 occurring on streams choked by the growth and collections of 

 years, where the expenditure of a small amount in removing the 

 obstruction would have saved the great losses sustained by our 

 farmers, — the problem was very graphically presented to us. 



No better example of the value of drainage work can be 

 demonstrated than that of the Neponset River improvement, 

 where within the past three years the State has dredged the 

 main channel, allowing the collected waters to run off more 

 quickly. As far as can be learned, and with the exception of 

 the small streams which enter this river and which have not 

 been cleaned out, this is the only river in Massachusetts 

 which did not flood its banks during the heavy rains' of the 

 summer. In order to demonstrate the complete success of this 

 undertaking, it will be necessary, however, to dredge out all 

 of the streams feeding the river, and when this has been done 

 the same work should be done in other places. There have 

 been complaints from landowners on the river that the drainage 

 was injuring their land, inasmuch as the wild grasses which 

 formerly grew in abundance do not grow any more. It would 

 seem that the only answer to make to these complaints would 

 be to cultivate the land and seed it with the sweet grasses 

 which will undoubtedly grow there now. Indeed, clovers and 

 timothy have been found growing on the meadows where 

 nothing has been done to the land. It might be well to try 

 some experiments with various crops in order to demonstrate 

 the best method of handling the soil. 



It appears that a law passed in 1702 and since amended is 

 still on the statutes in workable form. This law provides that 

 the owners of a tract needing drainage may make joint applica- 

 tion to the Superior Court, which will then (if the improvement 

 seems desirable) appoint commissioners who shall lay out and 

 supervise the work of drainage and assess the expense pro- 

 portionately on the various owners. The great drawback to 

 this bill has been that it does not provide for payment of the 

 work in installments. 



In order to perfect the law and make it workable at the 



