New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-08-18
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
IRRIGATION-LEGAI. DIFFICULTIES.

IRRIGATION-LEGAL DIFFICULTIES.
TOae Editor Of The N Y. TSitVre
SIR: The remarks in your columns on the subject
of irrigatng lands to increase their fertility are
worthy of the careful attention of the Agricultural
A well marked instance Of the benefits to be de-
rived came under my observation some thirty five
wears ago. One Amsden owned and worked large
iarm in the town of Reading, Vermont composed OF
what is there known intsrra along the borders OF
a considerable mill stream known as the " MA Brook
such lands being overlooked with water at seasons OF
freshets And back Of this were 'fatS, breaking
down to the nterraie in abrupt nearly perpendicular
bluffs from ten to thirty feet high and further back
from the stream the land broke into rough and rocky
hsides ascending peaks from three - fye hundred
feet above the valley OF the flats belonging TO TINS
farm there were about hundred acres, mostly IN
Grass II had been broken up and cultivated at differ
cnt times for two or three years, and laid down IN
herds prass and clover. But these grasses speedily
disappeared and a hardbladed spiregrass took its
place so thin that the crop would not steady the
sythe in moving. 49,
To restore those upland fats to fertilitythe propr
etor purchased the right to erect dam across the Mill
Brook and to dig channel through the neghbor lands
next above him. by which means ne conveyed volume
of water about fifteen inches square, and at the rate oil
about four miles an hour through the center OF his up
land flats and distributed il by various sub-channels
over his entire plantation. sort OF red top grass,
usually found in moist soils sprung up spontaneously
by the artificial channels and In the course OF couple
of wears lands that produced little that the harvest
was scarcely worth gathering before reazed from one
10 four tuns per acre of most excellent hay The rri
saon was commenced at the time of the early spring
freshetss and continued at intervals to protect from
the drouth during the hot season IN the summer.
The writer of this then but lad, had the impress
sion that the result produced by some mysterious
property Of water meeting some underlined necessary
In vegetation; but have since seen an analysis OF the
amount of fertilizng substances contained III gwen
volume of brook water consisting of animal and vege-
table substances and the alluyion and debris OF mner
ais and earths The figures are not now by me- but
recoect having applied them to this experiment and
ascertaped that the waters distributed on this estate
must have deposited from four 10 SIX tuns OF ertz-
inc substances on each OF this land during year.
The result was noted through all that section, and
sns for the irrigation of WORKOUT lands were devised
and talked about by various persons owning LANDS On
the same and other streams OF water
So nopular was tn idea Of irrigation that the Jeal
onsv Of the several owners Of dozen or more OF mills
nsinc the waters of this MIL Brook oetween 'ne
xmsasn farm and its junction with the Connecucut
R;xsr some ten miles below at Windsor, was excted
Leaf the water should fail at their several mills oy the
nronnd w. ste of those through whose lands passed
The matter soon found its way into the County Court
suit brought by one Hubbard, the owner Oh '1e as'
mill on the stream next to the Conhecvcu' h Wii
against Amsden, for teastng the na'e' VI ,no a.
of Amsden became matter Of record In the Cout,
and il was sought by the plaintiff 8 counsei 70
the defendant respond in damages for his
success as much trespass upon the prohfs Oh heo
bard's mills ten miles below He seems 10 nave 'o,
gotten that the use of the water to raise two busnes
of grain where but one grew before would increase
the patronage Of the mills at when there was
surplus Of water. On the other hand. il was coh-
tended that the water of running stream was the
property of the owpe< VI tao lads arvuga waleo F"