133 



three years ago to drain our land, by striking out a wide 

 ditch with a pair of horses and plough. Next we used a 

 horse scraper, and drew the dirt back, dumping it in 

 holes, from twenty to sixty feet on each side of the ditch. 

 Then by ploughing again and scraping out more dirt, we 

 formed a ditch, some twelve or fifteen feet wide at the 

 top, tapering down to a foot or less at the bottom. 

 Through the deepest rut our ditch is nearly eight feet 

 deep, but the sides are so sloping that grass will and does 

 grow down to the bottom of the ditch. Clover and 

 other high ground grasses came in the second season 

 ivithout seeding, so that we cut this present year, on the 

 ditch banks and sides, over a ton of fair upland hay. 

 These ditch banks will not be likely to " cave in,'' or the 

 ditch to get "clogged." 



About four rods below the pond, we built a rough 

 stone bridge, and last year thoroughly under-drained the 

 land through and around the pond, about an acre and a 

 half, at a cost of over $100. Below the bridge, we pro- 

 pose to leave this wide, open ditch, about twelve to fif- 

 teen feet wide at the top, and slanting down to a foot o\ 

 less at the bottom. The expense thus far has been over 

 '1200, but we have what will be in a few years, some of 

 the most valuable land on the place — all down hill, with- 

 in a " stone's throw " of the stable. 



I should not have gone a mile from home to spend so 

 much on a rough wet piece of pasture, but being right at 

 our very doors, a strong clay and sandy loam — just the 

 land I needed to raise certain kinds of stock upon that 

 cannot be grown to advantage on high land — I think it 

 has been a wise investment. 



For the committee, 



T. C. Thuklow. 



