1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



495 



The water always deposits more or less sediment 

 upon the land, and is often very muddy, leaving 

 quite a top-dressing. The meadow was also made 

 wet by a little brook from the highlands, and by 

 several cold springs, which boiled up in various 

 places, from a considerable depth below the surface. 



Thus encumbered by water, the land was cold 

 and sour, and contributed but Utile of value to- 

 wards keeping the stock. But being evidently of 

 the richest quality, and a greater quantity of hay 

 than the farm was producing being quite desirable, 

 it was resolved that the meadow should be drained 

 and brought into English mowing, if on investiga- 

 tion a sufficient fall could be obtained to carry off 

 the water. Some doubts were entertained as to 

 what disposition could be made of the numerous 

 cold springs, because, bubbling up from a consider- 

 able depth, independently of any connection with 

 the higher lands adjacent, and in places more or 

 less remote from each other, they could not be cut 

 off by marginal ditches. We started various theo- 

 ries, but finally concluded they might be willing to 

 discharge themselves at the bottom of the ditches 

 that were to be made, on the principle that water 

 seeks the lowest level. The sequel proved our 

 supposition well-founded. 



The first thing in attempting to drain the land, 

 was to make an accurate survey with leveling in- 

 struments, to find where the ditches could be loca- 

 ted so as to have fall enough towards the river to 

 give them good draught. After careful investiga- 

 tion, satisfactory locations were found for two main 

 open ditches, starting from a common point at the 

 upper end, and sweeping along through the lowest 

 and wettest portions of the meadow, by different 

 routes, separating widely from each other in some 

 places, but uniting in one ditch at the lower end, 

 and from thence to the river, with fall enough to 

 give a good motion to the water. In getting a 

 suitable fall, however, one of the ditches had to be 

 cut some seven or eight feet deep, for a few rods, 

 through a swell of land near the lower end of 

 its route. It is of course very important in attempt- 

 ing the drainage of land, to obtain a good draught 

 to the ditches. In pretty level lowland, particular- 

 ly, the best locations to secure this result, can only 

 be accurately ascertained by the use of leveling 

 instruments, — the eye, alone, being a vei-y uncer- 

 tain guide, and when followed, often leading one to 

 commit sad blunders, and to find too late that the 

 ditches are not dug in the right places to draw well, 

 and must therelbre be removed to another location, 

 or the inconvenience and loss arising from the im- 

 perfect drainage of the land must be a very pres. 

 ent trouble for all time. 



The ditches were made about two feet wide at 

 the bottom, and the sides were sloped up at an 

 inclination of 4o'^, — this slant making the drains 

 from eight to ten or twelve faet wide at the top. 



according to the depth of cut. In sloping the sides, 

 the workmen were guided by little frames made of 

 scantling pieces, two feet wide at bottom, and the 

 sides flaring at angles of 45'', the frames be- 

 ing set along occasionally in the ditches to regulate 

 the shaping up. Hundreds of loads of excellent 

 stufi" for the uplands were obtained in digging out 

 the ditches. It was carted otT into piles on the 

 higher ground, to be used in the yards and sheds, 

 and otherwise mixed with manure, for compost. 

 The work of draining the thirty acres was com- 

 menced in July, 1851, and was ail finished and the 

 earth from the ditches all carted oft" that season, 

 leaving the land free for future operations. 



The brook from the highlands, which formerly 

 found its own way over the surface of the meadow 

 to the river, is now conducted through the ditches. 

 The springs which burst up to the surface in vari- 

 ous places, spreading very cold water around to 

 chill the land, have changed their outlets, and may 

 now be seen bubbling up every few rods along in 

 the bottom of the ditches. It is quite curious to 

 observe how far, in some instances, a spring has re- 

 moved its discharging place, to indulge its hydrau- 

 Hc propensity for the lowest level. 



The lay of the land was generally favorable for 

 passing the water off the surface into the ditches ; 

 there were occasional slight depressions, or dishing 

 places of various extent, which must be smoothed 

 up to the general surface. This was done by plow- 

 ing down the crowning places surrounding them, 

 and removing the furrows into these little hollows, 

 with the oxen and scraper. The process of level- 

 ing was not expensive, being very rapidly done 

 with plow and scraper ; but it was quite indispen- 

 sable, however, for otherwise, after an overflow 

 from the river, the dishing places would not have 

 discharged themselves cleanly, and the water re- 

 maining in them to stagnate and pass slowly oft" by 

 evaporation, would have chilled and poisoned the 

 ground, killing out the cultivated grasses and 

 bringing in the swale again. 



The meadow thus ditched and levelled up, be- 

 came dry enough for plowing and seeding to grass 

 during the fall of 1851. But it would have been 

 too great an undertaking to fit the whole of it for 

 mowing, in one year. Accordingly so much of the 

 land as could be conveniently managed at one 

 time, say about ten acres, was plowed in October. 

 The breaking of the sod commenced with the larg- 

 est plows then at command ; but we very soon saw 

 that thorough work could not be done with them. 

 The swale was very stiif and ugly about turning 

 over. The coarse water-grasses had held posses- 

 sion of the land from time immemorial, and were 

 so deeply and thickly set as to form a sward al- 

 most impenetrable by a common plow. The roots 

 of ihe grasses were very large and tough, and 

 would double over the edge of the plow-share, so 



