Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-12-23
A GRIC UL I u AL.
From the Albany Culriyator.
Advantages Of Draining.


w. Gaylord Esq-Dear Sir-Yours
OF the 23d ult- is received, and in answer
to your inquiries respecting the piece Of
laDd to which you allude, l would saw that
the held contains seven and half acres
which previous to the year 1887, was
never plowed, and was so wet as 70 Be
useless, except for pasturage, and on al.
most one half OF it the grass was wild
coarse water grass, which no animal
would eat, except for short.tme in the
spring. The sell, sandy loan, resting
on stratum Of gravel and pebbles, ce.
mented together BY clay, the whole being
impervlous to water. The ground springy,
so much 80, that in the early part Of the
year, little exertion of a man when
standing on it would shake the ground for
yards around. To reclaim this ground.
in the summer Of 1886, | caused about
two hundred rods of stone underdrain 10
be made upon it, OF an expense of abou:
90 cents per rod. The drains were made
too wide. consequently iEcost more to DIG
them than 1t otherwise would. The
drains were so placed as to cut off the
springs before they broke out on the sur
face, or as al Englishman would saw
"they were cut between the wet and the
dry" The drains were dug from two to
three feet deep, and. stoned by laying 6rst
a row on each side of The bottom of The
ditch, leaving space of about four nches
between them. for the passage of water
then capped By laying larger stone on
the top, aud for these cap stones l per(er
Rnhhl..o oo fhaVv 40
from being pressed or falling together;
then billed IN with smaller stones, until the
top of the stones were wit lin twelve inch
es Of The top ofthe ground; then put on
small spainkling of straw, Just sufficient
to prevent the earth falling among the
stones-more than this | consider iniur-
ious. as il furnishes har5or for mice.
then filled in until it was raised somewhat
higher than the original or adjoining sur.
face.
In the spring of 1888, / gave the field
one Glowing sowed four acres with bar.
ley, IL should have been planted, J planted
Two acres with potatoes, one acre with
rulabags, Chis acre plowed twice.l all
without manure The produce Of mis-
first year was about 100 bushels ofbarIev
QUO bushels Of potatoes, 90 bushels ofi
corn, and 600 bushels OF rutabaga.
La the spring Of 1899, gave II one
blowing and sowed seven acres with Ial.
IAN spring wheat, and the remaining half
acre with Wilmington wheat. This latter
proved total failure, from the fact that
the wilmington, in this country at least.
proves variety Of winter, and not va
Tlrty OF spring wheat, as was sapnosed
Inc italian grew very large, was lodoed
badly. ana consequently was somswba,
shrunk. The part sown after barlev u,ss
Inferior to that sown after the nI.a,o.I
crops The wheat was deposited Is ~.
barn with The produce Of other fields. cor.
sequently | canuot give the quantity ex.
cept BY estimation. but should not great.
w err IN rating the product at fifteen bush.
els per acre.
Lust spring, 1910. | covered the ground
with wheat straw, and plowed il Under;
man following the pillow. and with fork
placing the straw 10 the furrow-harrows
ed ihoroughlg md planted with corn,
lexeept three rowS Of potatoes around the
held,) three and half ieet each way.-
The corn and potatoes have been hoed
twice, and the crop you have seen. Twill
only add. Il has gained much in appear
ance since YOU saw il.
Under draining consider one Of the
greatest improvements in modern farming: