Water Meadows. 
289 
direct the water throughout its course) so high that it wouhl flood 
the head-meadow. The intermediate meadow is generally watered 
by an " over-carrier " (water conveyed from the river over the 
" drawn "), the drainage from which empties below into the 
" drawn." Two or three occupiers may share in the water from 
one "carriage," taking it, the one from the other, at allotted times. 
The meadows require a considerable amount of manual labour to 
keep them in good order, and if this he neglected, coarse, flaggy 
" water-grass " and rushes will soon show themselves, in which 
melancholy condition I saw some with cows on them in January, 
three months after the proper time of " hayning." The meadows 
having been fed off rather bare about Michaelmas, 6s. an acre 
is paid for " working " the meadow, i. e. scouring out the 
feeders and drains ; the hatchwork is repaired, all rat-holes 
are stopped, and in the beginning of November the meadows 
receive their first watering, which is a good soaking of a week's 
duration. There ought to be young grass, about two inches 
high, on the ground at the time, through which the water per- 
colates, but which it does not cover and so drown. In all 
watering the grass must have its head above water, and much im- 
portance is attached to this point. This -first watering is given 
as the river, rich with alluvial matter, first rises from the 
autumnal rains ; and thick water is always best, thin water 
doing positive harm on a clay bottom. As to the time of appli- 
cation, night is better than day, dull weather than bright. The 
watering is continued throughout November and December, six 
days in the week if possible ; in January five, in February four ; if 
the frost be hard the water is turned off till a thaw, and if many 
occupiers participate they take it two days at a time. The 
meadows are dried the first week in March, are trodden by men's 
feet (a roller and horses would do injury to the carriers and 
di-ains), and about Lady-day the ewes and lambs are turned in, 
being taken out at night and folded on the arable : they stay in 
about six weeks, if longer the meadows are liable to injury, and 
the sheep to the rot. As soon as they are out, the hatches are 
drawn and the water admitted, but very thinly and scantily at 
first, in order that the grass may have time to grow above it ; 
two days a week Avill be sufficient watering, till the grass is cut 
and hay made in the middle of June. Water may again be 
applied once a week, and in eight weeks' time there will be a 
second crop of hay. The autumn feed is for coavs. 
As to the produce, the spring feed of one acre will easily keep 
twenty couples, who will fold three-quarters of an acre of arable 
in the time ; each hay-crop will be from a ton and a half to two 
tons. This is a moderate estimate for the Avon meadows. 
The value of the Avon meadows (4/. to 5/. an acre) is nearly 
