182 BARNSTABLE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



whole with sand and stones, to the depth of one foot, and have 

 since used it for a road. Bat believing it still insecure, the pres- 

 ent season, I commenced ten feet below the dike, and laid up a 

 row of large marsh sods, the grass side outward, on a slope of 

 nearly forty-five degrees, and carried it up seven feet high, fill- 

 ing in the space between with marsh sods. This method, I 

 believe to be preferable to any wood work, as the sods will soon 

 grow firmly together, and will not, like wood, be liable to de- 

 cay. After I had repaired the dike, I flowed the meadow with 

 fresh water, for several weeks, and cut as good a crop of grass, 

 as the year previous, estimating it at three tons to the acre. 



In the winter of 1846, I covered the remaining portion of the 

 meadow with from two to three inches of sand, and sowed the 

 same with oats and grass seed, and covering the same with ma- 

 nure. The present season, I have cut, on half an acre, two tons 

 of excellent hay, some of the herds grass measuring four feet 

 eight inches in length. I believe a smaller quantity of sand- 

 to be far preferable. I believe that, if the sm'face of the meadow 

 could be pared off to the depth of one or two inches, to destroy 

 the original grasses, and seed sown directly upon the surface, 

 and covered with a coat of manure, it would be the best method 

 that could be adopted. I tried the experiment by sowing herds 

 grass seed upon some sods taken from the ditch to fill up a low 

 place in the meadow, and, without any manure, the grass grew 

 the following season about three feet high. The only obstacle 

 to reclaiming low wet meadow, is the subduing of the original 

 grasses, and more particularly the round and three square rush. 

 A larger quantity of sand will keep all but the round rush 

 down, and the best method I am acquainted with, for subduing 

 that, is thorough draining and good stable manure. The cost 

 of reclaiming may be variously estimated, but will be, I think, 

 from twenty to fifty dollars, according to the facilities for im- 

 proving. 



During the past summer, after I had cut the English grass. 

 the weather being uncommonly dry, I put a stopwater on the 

 trunk leading under the dyke, and, for several weeks, kept the 

 ditches filled with water; and by this method I had an abun- 

 dance of grass for two cows, during the whole dry season, while 



