81 



To Adino Page, of Danvers, the second premium of 10 00 

 To M. H. Davis, of Danvers, the third premium, Cohnan's 

 European Agriculture, 



Had they other premiums at their command, they would 

 cheerfully give them to the other claimants, as they believe their 

 experiments to be worthy of such commendation. 

 J. W. Procter, ) 



Joseph F. Ingalls, > />, -,, 

 T ir V Committee, 



Isaac Knowlton, ) 



Horace Ware, j 



Adino Page's Statement. 



I offer for examination, and premium (if thought worthy 

 of it) a piece of reclaimed meadow and run-land, situate 

 on the town farm in Danvers, near the avenue that leads to 

 the house, and easterly of the same. This parcel of land, 

 previously to 1850, was usually known by the name of the 

 *' pond hole." The peat mud was several feet deep over the 

 greater part of it — in some parts the mire was ten or 

 twelve feet. It was supplied with water by springs oozing 

 from the surrounding highlands, and was often impassable 

 by man or beast, and so full of water as to have an offensive 

 and forbidding aspect. 



In the season of 1850, it yielded only about half a ton of 

 the coarsest kind of meadow grass and rushes. In the 

 autumn of that year, ditches were cut around the borders, 

 so as to receive the water that came in from the hills ; and 

 cross-ditches were cut to an old ditch in the center, that 

 was cleaned out, so as to let off the water at the southerly 

 end. These ditches were cut across about three rods apart, 

 thereby forming the land into beds of that width, and were 

 covered with stones and turfs, so far as convenient to do s). 

 Where the land would support a team, the plough was 

 used to turn the sod ; in other parts, it was broken and turned 

 with spades and hoes. Nearly all the surface was covered 

 11 



