DRAINING. 393 



about 26 score acres, consisting of five farms, jumbled to- 

 gether, for more than 80 years ; three of them have not 

 had a resident occupier during memory. The lands were 

 chiefly small pieces and large borders ; the meadows a long 

 strip, of about nine score acres. It is not in my power to 

 represent the bad state the whole of the lands were in, nor 

 can I give an exact account at what prices the work was 

 done. The fences are chiefly drains for the land, which 

 always should be the case, if possible. I began the work 

 on the chief of the meadows, the year before I took the 

 farm : the account I annex was all done the first year of 

 the lease, and I have since expended much on all the 

 lands. I have always had more labourers than I wanted 

 for harvest : I began the work in all dire6lions, which 

 made it look in a confused stale. My neighbours said at 

 the time, it would never be made a job of; but before the 

 year was expired, Mr. DugmoPv.e, who knew the slate 

 the land was in, looked it over, and paid me the compli- 

 ment of saying, it was the greatest and best work he ever 

 saw in our county. In draining land, the main objctSl is 

 to form the main cut in the bottom ; the fences for the 

 next drains ; then begin on llie great springs, and see what 

 effe6l they have: but draining small springs seldom has 

 any effedl on the large ones. 



S. JOHNSON." 



Thurnlng, "Jan. 31, 1803. 



^^^ork 



