ON RECLAIMED MEADOW. 39 



I have another piece of laud which was not much superior to 

 the one above described, in quahty and productiveness, it is a 

 gravelly knoll, and has heretofore yielded one scanty crop in a 

 year ; for two years past the water has been directed so as to 

 flash over it, generally from March till the last of May, and oc- 

 casionally froin showers. The present year (1831) two crops 

 have been taken fi'om it, either of which is double the value of 

 what was previously raised in a season on the same ground. The 

 improvement in the crops on this piece may in part be attributed 

 to the advantage that this piece has over the other of taking the 

 wash from the road and buildings. I have two other pieces, one 

 of which has been under this mode of improvement several years ; 

 they yield an extra crop, and probably will, if attended to, as 

 long as grass shall grow, or water flov/. The expense in most 

 cases is trifling, sometimes it may be necessary to raise the water 

 by a dam, that it may be thrown on higher land, on which it 

 would not run, if it were not raised above its natural channel — 

 the water should be conveyed as far up as it will run and from 

 the main channel at distances of ten or twelve feet, it should be 

 let out so as to overflow the whole declivity below ; a little at- 

 tention to the channel and gutters is necessary, as they some- 

 times become obstructed and the water takes a wrong direction. 

 I have not been able to be to particular in my statement as per 

 haps might be desirable, not being situated so as to have the 

 crops weighed, but the utility of this mode of improvement will 

 be obvious to any one w'lio will risk the experiment. 



Yours respectfully, 



DAVID GRAY. 



Andover, Nov. lith, 1831. 



No. III. ON RECLAIMED MEADOW. 



The Committee on Farms to whom was referred the subject 

 of " Wet Meadow Lands Reclaimed" report — 



That at the request of Asa T. Newhall of Lynnfield, the only 

 applicant the present year for the premium of the Society on 

 reclaimed meadow, they visited his premises, and annex to 



