90 ON RECLAIMED MEADOW LANDS. 



sary for many, at the close of the last century, to resort to 

 their peat meadows for fuel ; and this reclaimed meadow was 

 then dug out for peat. But the general use of the cooking 

 stove, and the introduction of hard coal for fuel, have lessened 

 the consumption of peat within the last thirty years, and peat 

 meadows are not now so valuable for fuel, as they were forty 

 years since. It becomes an important inquiry then, how they 

 can be best reclaimed ? 



It has been the practice of many, in former years, to cart 

 upon them large quantities of gravel. This was done many 

 years ago upon some ten or twelve acres of the farm in Dan- 

 vers, now owned by George Peabody, of Salem, and although 

 these meadows have some of them been reclaimed more than 

 forty years, they continue to produce large crops of hay. 



But where meadow lands are so situated that they can be 

 drained, they may be reclaimed without the expense of grav- 

 elling, as the statements of the two applicants for premiums 

 this year show. 



In draining land, it is important to know how much the 

 water should be lowered. From our experience, we should 

 say, that the ditches and outlet should be so made, as to drain 

 the water eighteen inches below the surface of the meadow, in 

 the spring, and the early part of summer. As the season be- 

 comes dry, it may be well to stop the ditches, so that the wa- 

 ter may rise to within twelve inches of the top. We have 

 sometimes seen the evil effects of draining these lands too dry 

 for grass. 



If we cannot drain the stagnant water from a meadow, it is 

 not desirable to attempt to reclaim it. We saw a strong illus- 

 tration of the truth of this remark, when viewing the meadow 

 of Mr. Ware, in Marblehead. A neighbor of his wishes to keep 

 his pond at its present height, and to reclaim his meadow. 

 He keeps the water in the pond, but his meadow does not stay 

 reclaimed, although he has expended much upon it. On the 

 farm of the late B. W. Crowninshield, of Topsfield, we saw 

 another illustration of this remark. He had done much upon 

 his meadow, but his neighbor demanded an exorbitant price 

 for digging a ditch a few rods through his pasture, so that the 



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