Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-10-16
RECLAIMING AND DRAINING.
From the New England Farmer.l

belonging to the Vermont State Asylum. The
draining aIhl.improvement of this tract of land
has interested me considerably for several years;
and two years ago this month, gave a commu-
nication to the Fnmer. describing the methods
pursued in reclaiming it.
The meadow consists Of about thirty acres of
Connecticut River intervale lying quite low,
and subject to overflow from the river when
swollen by spring and fall rains, n thaw in the
winter, or an unconlmonly rainy spell in August.
The land was also made wet by little brook
FROM the uplands, and by cold springs in yari-
Gus places, bubbing up from considerable
depth Before draining the meadow the flood
water did not all pass off with the falling of the
river, but portions of it, together with the wa
ters Of the brook and springs, remained to stag
nate, or in other places to diminish slowly by
evaporation. The land was thus kept wet cold
and sour, and produced little or nothing but the
coarsest swac grasses. An OK team could not
he driven over much of the land at all, and
man could not NOV in the wettcr portions with
out going over shoes in water.
Six years ago this summer, we determined to
attempt to drain and reclaim the meadow. and
an accurate survey was made with levelling i'll
struments, to ascertain the exact lay of the sur
face. and whore bitches could be opened that
would give motion to the water and pass it to
the river. Favorable routes were found for the
water to move off, and two capacious open
bitches were accordingly made, starting at
common point at the upper end, sweeping
through the lower portions of the meadow by
widely separate routes, but uniting in one ditch
at the lower end, and from thence to the river.
The eye, alone, would not have pointed out
these routes for the bitches, for where they
united. nearest the river, there was a swell in
,bo J;,oLoa ,'.
W., 49,. 'I w. iii .nI ''.I'' ~ %
'..yl Il .i '.e Wv VI: -'' VI II -
~ W.. 'iLe p''i pos'1 Vi u'a'''as' anu .''.
u 'i,""e. NV" ueVP '"e 0'' mus "e W PasS
ti'e ~"tcr 'Iiro"gn proper! 10 'le river. 90
'nucn ior 'he dement's vi al, accurate survey
"'en ei attempting 10 uraln lowlahaS.
. Inc ui'eheS mus completed ana the iahd re-
heVeu oil stagnani water about ten acres were
eacti year plo"eu up manureu win compost,
ana iald uo"h WIN tne cultivated grasses ana
tile tiirn year rom the commencement nearly
the enure meadow mad been reclaimed. After
PloWihg piece, ana before manurlng ana seed
ing IT, 'he occasional shGnt holiows was smooth
ca up 10 tne general surface oy removing earth
lli.1 '.,cli rom lle surrounding cro"hihg Places
win the oxen ana scraper so tnat no portion
ol 'nv nooI wafer shouid remain on tie iaha
nu' uii might realy pass on win the iaIIlng oi
'he rNcr' me oreaklhs OF the swaie sod was
no. an easy TASK Inc coarse water grasses mad
heiu possession OF the land Tor long PERIOD
ana formed strong tmckly-rooted and ugly
sWar"' "Ich couiu not De turned al all by a
Plo" 0, the usual SIZE Accordingly very
'a'se Pio" was PIocursu' Which, urawn oy SIX
oNeh' went ehtirei! oelow tne roots oi the grass
es' and turned up deep, wide burrows, laying
'Nem a,, over IN spite OF their stliineSs.
me Tohui,ion oi the iahd mas oeeh very mueh
,ers are on az once on the receding OF HOOD
,oaueu teams can pe urNeh anywhere on the
i, .a,iu, ana large crops oi good hay have been
t ,'Ne' on' "" d ie" acreS' however oi 'he
Z""1St Z PJ, u"n, oi ..,e n,eauo~ nrsI proved ana
- I: Wv - . e'I '1s ~ ~. io'iii'S n'' i"-
- ""s ,'o' s ~ 'lia' 'ile iaIo couiu oe
i,,, ~, :, H. a,' 's .: az o'iee'
asaI ,,,1 =, 1t;s W I'M "i'oi se'
,L; IL. fiI '''s uii"
s,.i IiiN'e,o "ou'u o' nosu! amen out Oh IT,
Me- ~, ISL. ''-r eonui'Io''S VI
Ti,' i'a. - v' II u'o"
loa. - .''. ", ii. ~ ,i1I''oN :Ii seeue'' ~
,,,..; !, ,,. "sI "'',J ,,e "i," siISSes are
~ '''e ~, - :, ".5 ploMeI up anu r'Sreu-
NH w. ni ~ pi teu ~ pmefe in1"es u'eP
WY ii' ,,T ,''S ;i ioM' iiSS'i ior uIunit' OF
,.'I c III ",io uI""" u! !''lTe
omeS VI oSe', ne iu'Io"S urn over Aihuiy
| n l. l.
.'',. '''SN nc iaiiu mas eNi-
en-! seiuv" uoT" ScscrH' i,9nes silce was
,ilst ui'eneu anu PloWeu. WheN proved SIX
YEARS aso. 'nis lowest g1ou'lu' IN particular was
ei! uoss!' st'oA. anu ui'''cu'. 10 o'erturh, ana
I .o oHe', M w',v roil'iualiy miInls ahkie 10 Knee
uet' Ill ''ie iulro"s' ana hau iaoorious Joo
Vi a.. ,.
Ai'er 'iowlhs, lhe iahu is 10 oe narrowed
l,ne' anu some uay .hS week viii be stocked
Gown WIN d mixture OF iowi,meau9w' herds
sruss ana reu-'oP seeds' nusheu H. we expect
10 pe aoie 10 give more permanently good
qu'.3 " 'hc nay P'ouuGeu Oh t'l'S iahu' ny
stochlIs u ~ par, win me iowl-meadow grass
oeIfrai NIUE patches OF this grass nave come IN
on Oh inc meadow anu II seems 10 occupy the SOIL
Whenever 1t ge's loothold' IN spite OF Hoods or
'ne coarse e. wafer grasses IL also Yields a large
swT'n 10 I.e sG!.he, ana very superb quality
Oh nay, II Is hoped mat when the herds-grass
ana ' @ feu-toP ai'er whlle e begin 10 disappear
.he ioMi-ineauI" grass WIN sPreau ana occupy
lhen place ana smut out the poorer wiid grass
G'; gs; intent TO observe the operation OF the
,ihi'S pretty cioseiy, ana may perhaps hereafter
t naNe sonie.nlis oi interest 10 communicate
a'oN, It, VI! nuPress'oh no" iS' that the io"i-
,iieuuo" grass ma! DC successfully cultivated on
10" moist laius, ana Afford surer and larger