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VIII. — Oji an Improved and Cheaper System of laying out Catch- 

 Meadoios. By Sir Stafford Northcote, Bart* 



The improved system of guttering, invented by Mr. Bickford, of 

 Crediton, and of which I have made partial use in some water- 

 meadows in the neighbourhood of Exeter, appears to me to 

 possess great advantages, both in efficiency and economy, over 

 that usually practised in this neighbourhood, and seems likely to 

 be of great value if sufficiently made known. 



The meadows to which I refer are situated on the banks of the 

 Exe, about two miles above Exeter, and lie between the river 

 itself and the stream which is taken out of it at Pynes Weir, for 

 supplying the city with water. The waste water of this stream 

 returns to the Exe immediately below the meadows, so as com- 

 pletely to surround a space of about 30 acres. This space is 

 divided into three meadows, of which the highest has always been 

 in my own occupation, while the two lower pieces have been let 

 off. Till about seven years ago they were occupied by my 

 steward, and while he held them they were regularly watered ; 

 but they have lately been let on lease to a tenant who, for some 

 reason with which I am unacquainted, has not availed himself of 

 the means of irrigation which were at his command. The higher 

 meadow, therefore, is the only one which has been watered of late 

 years. Having now, however, taken the whole of them in hand, 

 1 proceeded, last autumn, to examine the condition of the lower 

 meadows, in order to ascertain what was requisite to be done to 

 supply them with water. 



The nature of the ground will be most easily understood by 

 reference to the subjoined diagram. 



The water is, in the first place, brought into the higher marsh 

 (No. 1) at A, a point a little below the weir, whence it is carried 

 by means of a large gutter « « (3 feet wide and 2 feet deep) along 

 the highest part of the land. From this gutter there are cut, at 

 irregular distances, other and smaller gutters, which traverse the 



