128 ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



upland, forming an irrigation, a thick set grass, called blue 

 grass, grows in abundance, and is an excellent kind. In some 

 instances, deep ditches should be interspersed among the cross 

 ditches to take off the occasional springs ; these ditches, if con- 

 venient, should be stoned up and covered. These cross ditches 

 form beds, which should be raised in the centre between them, 

 by throwing the mud from the ditches and sides into the mid- 

 dle, or, if ploughed, commence in the centre and back furrow 

 to the sides, which will raise it sufficiently. 



If such a meadow as I have described could be ploughed, 

 it would be best so to manage, and to plant it with potatoes or 

 corn, or sow it with rye and grass seed at the same time, or 

 lay it down, sowing grass seed alone, in dry weather, in Au- 

 gust, or September, which, I think, better than to sow later, as 

 the crop of grass will be far more abundant the following sea- 

 son ; or, it may be sowed late in the fall, and even in the next 

 spring very early, but I think the chance, by the last methods, 

 is, by no means, so favorable. But, before any thing of this is 

 done, a top-dressing of coarse gravel, of the depth of two inches, 

 will be necessary, and will have an astonishing effect. Sand 

 will answer the purpose, and loam is better than mere sand, but 

 gravel better than either. A top-dressing of lime, or ashes, on 

 the gravel or sand, I think may well pay the expense, or a com- 

 post with lime still better. Yet the effects of mere gravel, or 

 sand, I think, would astonish any one who has not before ex- 

 perienced the trial of it, producing an abundant crop of grass. 

 The sand, or gravel, seems to correct some acidity incident to 

 such soils, or they supply some principle wanting to them. 

 The precise manner in which these substances act upon the 

 peat soils, and the exact principles each contain, we will not 

 stop now to inquire ; let chemists determine these points, but 

 suffice it to say, experience has shown these important results. 

 It is well known, from various experiments, that such lands do, 

 in some instances, continue to produce from two to three tons 

 of good hay to the acre, without additional top-dressing, for 

 six years ; there are few instances, I think, of uplands doing 

 this. It is, also, an encouraging circumstance to any who fear 

 (on the score of expense,) to experiment on the improvement of 



