UNDERDRAINING. 149 



this nature, they should be fully satisfied that the object aimed 

 at had been fairly reached, and in no way can this be so fully 

 demonstrated as by an exhibition of the crops actually produced 

 upon the land for which a premium is claimed. That Mr. 

 Stevens has greatly improved the land by the series of drains 

 he has laid through the same, is evident from the fact that this 

 is the first year he has been able to work it at all. We however 

 consider the experiment incomplete. The crop of barley raised 

 upon the ground the present year was unsatisfactory, and the 

 grass, on land so richly manured, did not look so promising as 

 we could wish to see it. We are far, however, from pronounc- 

 ing the enterprise to be a failure. Our greatest fear is, that 

 drains lying so nearly level, will easily become obstructed, and 

 thus disappoint expectations. We shall be happy to learn that 

 our fears are groundless. We only regret that Mr. Stevens 

 had not postponed his application till another year. Should 

 his anticipations be then realized, he would present a strong 

 claim for a premium. With the views as above expressed, your 

 committee do not feel justified in awarding a premium to Mr. 

 Stevens for his experiment in uudordraining. Mr. Stevens' 

 mode of putting down his drains, (as very fully shown in his 

 statement,) is we think judicious, and probably the best method 

 he could adopt for land thus situated. 



TJie land offered by Dr. Kelley, containing about five acres, 

 lies on the westerly side of High Street, in Newburyporfc. Wo 

 might say much of the beautiful evergreens and shrubbery with 

 which tliese grounds are ornamented, but as we are not a com- 

 mittee on landscape gardening, we will return to the ditch. 



The land which the doctor has underdrained, is admirably 

 situated for the operation. Tlie largest portion of it lies upon 

 a sharp declivity, and the inclination is so great on any part of 

 the land, that the water passes through the drains with consid- 

 erable velocity. 



The work we think is well done, and with the almost cer- 

 tainty that drains thus situated will not become obstructed, we 

 may add, permanently done. For the method adopted and 

 materials used in this operation by the doctor, as well as for 

 several valuable suggestions in regard to the utility of the enter- 

 prise, we refer our readers to his full and somewhat elaborate 

 statement which accompanies this report. The committee 



