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it is beautiful and interesting. But in many parts, 

 the soil is far enough from being rich. Upon the 

 borders of this forest, are the water meadows of 

 which he was speaking. A little river ran through 

 the forest in this part, at the bottom of a valley, 

 with sides moderately sloping, and of considerable 

 extent, between the river at the bottom and the com- 

 mon level of the surrounding country above. This 

 little river, before reaching the place, ran through a 

 small town, and gathered, doubtless, some refuse mat- 

 ter in its course. From this river the water was 

 taken, at the upper end of the valley, conducted a- 

 long the edge, or bank, in a canal or carrier, and from 

 this carrier, at proper times, suffered to flow out, 

 very gently, spreading over and irrigating the whole 

 surface, trickling and shining when he saw it, (and it 

 was then November,) among the light green of the 

 new-springing grass, and collected below in another 

 canal, from which it was again let out, to flow in 

 like manner over land lying still further down to- 

 wards the bottom of the valley. Ten years ago, 

 this land, for production, was worth little or nothing. 

 He was told that some of it had been let for no 

 more than a shilling an acre. It has not been ma- 

 nured, and yet is now most extensively productive. 

 It is not flooded ; the water does not stand upon it ; 

 it flows gently over it, and is applied several times in 

 a year, to each part, say in March, May, July and 

 October. In November, when he saw it. the farmers 

 were taking off the third crop of hay cut this season, 

 and that crop was certainly not less than two tons to 

 the acre. This last crop was mostly used as green 



