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The 92nd Institute was held at the Town Hall, Tops- 

 field, Feb. 17th. The essayist of the morning was 

 the Hon. Jas. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, who read a 

 paper on " Underdraining." The speaker said he would 

 consider the improvement of our low land in conjunction 

 with his announced subject, which would broaden his 

 field for treatment. Too large a part of New England is 

 still unimproved. The question now at hand is the best 

 way of handling this unimproved wet land, and it is his 

 opinion that it is in the line of the higher agriculture 

 for the census to take up the topic and give us accurate 

 statistics of land that can be improved and brought into 

 tillage by drainage, dykage and by getting the water out 

 of it. The latter method pays in Holland and the time 

 will come when it will pay here as well. The speaker 

 hoped in the near future the Agricultural College would 

 send out experts to examine this question abroad and re- 

 port thereon. In this matter of redeeming land one will 

 find it very handy to sound with an iron rod, having a 

 curved handle in order to avail ones self of the rich soil 

 that lies under the surface. 



Muck is a vegetable matter that does not decay beyond 

 a certain point. It decays just so far and then the cold 

 arrests it and muck or peat forms. It is very useful 

 therefore as a fertilizer, for the nitrogen does not escape, 

 and it is equal in some conditions to stable manure. It 

 is useful to use with stable manure and makes a rich com- 

 bination, as the manure warms it and sets the nitrogen 

 free. 



In draining land it is well to follow the natural slope 

 of the land as much as possible. To begin with, look for 

 your springs and tap them first. Also look out for your 

 outlet, for if you have none, it is useless to drain your 

 land. No roots can grow in dead water, and what we 

 aim at is to remove it, and where water stands, there can 

 be no decomposition, and only when the water is drained 



