106 IMPROVING WET MEADOWS AND SWAMP LANDS. 



Brown is a model farmer for our county, and that his resources -will 

 enable him, probably, to exceed even his present attainments. 



The chairman of the committee has also visited the • farms of 

 Robert Farley, jr., in Ipswich, and Daniel Butler, in Gloucester, 

 but the statements respecting them are omitted on account of the 

 great length of the foregoing report. 



DAVID CHOATE, Chairman. 



IMPROVING WET MEADOWS AND 

 SWAMP LANDS. 



The Committee on Reclaimed Meadows and Swamp Lands submit 

 the following report : 



The past season your committee have viewed two meadows 

 which have been partly reclaimed, — one in Rowley, belonging to 

 Thomas E. Payson, and the other in Lynn, owned by Wm. Osborn. 



On July 2d, we viewed Mr. Payson's land, and were shown a 

 large beautiful meadow, containing some hundred acres, about 

 sixty of which belong to Mr. Payson. The soil is peat, or mud, 

 from three to seven feet in depth. A large deep ditch has been 

 cut entirely through this magnificent meadow, which drains it so 

 effectually, that a loaded waggon may be drawn over any part. 



It will be seen by Mr. Payson's statement, that he has adopted 

 two distinct methods to get his meadow into English mowing ; one 

 by planting potatoes, the other by ploughing. 



On the ten acres which were ploughed last fall, we noticed very 

 promising crops, reveling in a dry, rich, mellow soil. For it will be 

 seen that ploughing a foot deep on such land, buries effectually all 

 obstructions, and brings to the surface for cultivation a soil which 

 might tempt many of our farmers to a breach of the tenth com- 

 mandment. We are gratified to learn that Mr. Payson is still 

 carrying on this mode of reclaiming his meadow, and hope at some 

 future time he will give us as concise and satisfactory a statement 



