On converting a Moory Hill-side into Catch Meadow. 519 
two hundred acres were then covered with heath, sixty with fern, 
and the remainder with peat and moss. Not having hay to give 
my horses, I began to turn attention to procure some. The first 
course 1 took was to take the level from all the springs, and then 
to ascertain how many acres I had under that level that T could 
carry the water over ; and when I found how much land I could 
irrigate, I began to cultivate my intended meadow, which was 
done by paring and burning, and, after spreading the ashes, to 
break up and work the land to the depth of from 12 to 15 inches 
with Finlayson's harrow, by stirring the subsoil, but not to bring 
it to the surface ; after working many times over in this way, I got 
the surface as even as I thought necessary ; it was then manured 
with 60 bushels of lime an acre, and sown with turnips, which 
were fed off on the land. After the turnips the land was again 
worked with the harrow, rolled and made fine, and in April was 
sown with grass seed, harrowed in and rolled. I'he grass came 
up well, and was stocked on the 1st of July following with seven 
sheep to the acre, which it kept in good condition until the 1st of 
November, when it was again rolled, and the water gutters made 
to take the water that was drained from the springs above. I set 
out the watering gutters by the level, giving them 1 inch fall in 
every 10 feet. They were cut 9 inches wide and 3 inches deep. 
If the land has a gentle slope, the gutters may be put 60 feet 
from each other ; but if it be very steep, and there is a good flow of 
water, they may be put seventy or eighty feet apart. \N hen I find 
the water sink too fast into the land, 1 spread fine earth or road 
scrapings over the surface in order to fill it up, that the water 
may pass over to the next catch-gutter. In this way I made my 
first 1 4 acres, which took five years to complete. In the same 
manner I have from time to time drained all the wet land on the 
farm, and have now 30 acres of meadow, which yield a crop of 
hay from a ton to a ton and a half per acre annually. 
Where it is possible to carry water over dry land, it is best to 
do so ; but the boff itself can be converted into water meadow. I 
have lately drained a deep peat bog by cutting drains in some 
parts of it to the depth of 7 feet. This bog was 10 acres ; one- 
half of which is now watered. The way I manage to prevent the 
flooding water from getting down into the drains is as follows : — I 
first fill the bottom with flat stones set on their edge one foot ; 
then a foot of stones broken small ; on them a 3-inch turf with 
the grass downwards, and well trodden in ; on this turf I lay on 
puddle, which I bring within 6 inches of the surface. When this 
is done, I pare and burn, manure, and manage the peat in the 
same manner as I do the other land. 
The water gutters should be cut with the under edge sloping 
outwards, in order to let the water floiv more freely over the land. 
