106 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



UNDER-DRAINAGE. 



ESSEX. 



From the Heport of the Committee. 



It has been said that he who makes two Ijlades of grass grow 

 where but one grew before is a public benefactor. Perhaps this 

 assertion should be received with some degree of qualification. 

 Such an one maj be so considered if he did it at an outlay that 

 will make it a paying operation. If it is not such an example 

 as would be safe for the ordinary farmer to follow with a limited 

 income derived from his farm alone, then we think it would par- 

 take too much of the character of much of the gilt-edged farm- 

 ing which we sometimes see — beautiful to look upon, with the 

 nice-faced walls, the fancy breeds of cows, horses, pigs, and 

 poultry, the nicely shaven lawns, etc. But Mr. Appleton's case 

 stands on no such foundation. Here is really an example 

 worthy of imitation by the men of small means, to say nothing 

 of the improvement in the appearance of his place, lying as the 

 under-drained land did in front of his residence. 



The foundation of all the improvement in this, as well as of 

 another larger tract of meadow upon which Mr. Appleton has 

 commenced operations, is a large open ditch passing near this 

 lot and into which the main drain has its outlet, and emptying 

 into Ipswich River, some half mile distant. But as this ditch 

 existed before, we did not thiuk it worth while to make any 

 account of its expense in the drainage of the lot. 



Mr. Appleton is fortunate in having for his farmer a practical 

 engineer, who not only laid out the work and made the plan of 

 the lot, but also adjusted all the tile in the drains. This lot was 

 not a muck bed, but a basin kept wet by springs, which had 

 their origin at some low level, as no less than eight were cut 

 through in making the drain. The lot is a long and narrow 

 one, being 1,815 feet in length, and requiring the main drain to 

 be 2,000 feet in length to get an outlet. It contains thirteen 

 acres, one rood and eleven rods. About one acre is taken up by 

 a road way, leaving twelve acres to be operated upon. The soil 

 was a sandy loam on one side, a pretty hard gravel on the other, 



