48 ESSEX SOCIETY. 



forty years, they continue to produce large crops of hay. But 

 where meadow lands are so situated that they can be drained, 

 they may be reclaimed without the expense of gravelling, as 

 the statements of the two applicants for premiums this year 

 show. 



In draining land, it is important to know how much the 

 water should be lowered. From our experience, we should 

 say, that the ditches and outlet should be so made, as to drain 

 the water eighteen inches below the surface of the meadow, in 

 the spring, and the early part of summer. As the season be- 

 comes dry, it may be well to stop the ditches, so that the water 

 may rise to within twelve inches of the top. We have some- 

 times seen the evil effects of draining these lands too dry for 

 grass. 



If we cannot drain the stagnant water from a meadow, it is 

 not desirable to attempt to reclaim it. We saw a strong illus- 

 tration of the truth of this remark, when viewing the meadow 

 of Mr. Ware. A neighbor of his wishes to keep his pond at 

 its present height, and to reclaim his meadow. He keeps the 

 water in the pond, but his meadow does not stay reclaimed, 

 although he has expended much upon it. On the farm of the 

 late B. W. Crowninshield, of Topsfield, we saw another illus- 

 tration of this remark. He had done much upon his meadow, 

 but his neighbor demanded an exorbitant price for digging a 

 ditch a few rods through his pasture, so that the water stands 

 so much upon it, that it kills the English grass. 



Both of the pieces of land to which our attention has been 

 directed, were what is commonly called swamp land, and were 

 nearly alike in what they produced ; although they were dif- 

 ferently situated. Mr. Kimball's farm is far from any village 

 or market town, so that he has no means of obtaining manure, 

 except what is made upon the farm. This being the case, a 

 reclaimed meadow is valuable, not only for what it produces, 

 but as furnishing the means by which other parts of the farm 

 may be improved. The manure which may be made from the 

 stock fed upon the ten tons of hay produced upon this meadow, 

 will add much to the means for enriching his other lands. 



From his experiment we learn how that one of the most 



