The Newtown bee., 1909-11-05

one would apply to a large majority of the others. If accomplished, the benefits from every point of view would be very great and seemingly indispensable to our hill town farm CTS, who are in so much need of level land for cultivation that is free from rocks and stones, which are not gen erally found on swamp meadows. Is there practical and reasonable place for drainage in not only Cornwall, but every town in the state?
 Txreriente along similar lines, mo- tably the good roads movement, says yeT, and agitation Of this subject can be traced back to 1886, when most of the lands bordering on these streams yielded more than the average num- Der of tons to the acre of coarse grass, wnicn was moved during the season of dry pasturage and stored for various uses during the winter. Under such circumstances their re- claiming by drainage was not con- sidered of vital importance, but times have greatly changed and so have conditions that bear directly upon the future service of these lands, and to- day what shall be done with them is one of the vital questions that can not be evaded much longer, for swamp alders and other vile groWths have supplanted the coarse grass 1n many places and enrroached II. on others where teams were formerly driven to gather the hay. Again, his nass of thick growth protects the water from the heat of the sun and prolongs the period of stagna- tion on the surface and increases the growth of the bushes, all of which tends toward abandoned farms, What remedy can be applied?
 On or about 1885 it was generally conceded that the newly built and highly successful Erie Canal was a real help to the advance movement which was in evidence all over the country, and no surprise was felt when interested parties applied to our Legislature for a charter for the Fal mington Canal which they pro- posed to build. The proposition was met with some favor, but with more opposition, and never materialized; j; but it left an enduring impression in Cornwall Hollow, where the pros end cons were argued with persistent vigor. Caleb Bradley led the oppo- sition ana gave reasons thatsurprised his friends and puzzled his opponents and have been repeated a great many times since the good old man crossed over to the echoless shore. He said the average distance from the Farm ington River, with it's clear channel, to the proposed layout for the canal was about six miles, which fact re- duced the proposition to opposition to the plainer designs of the Almigh- ty and the whole scheme would end in failure; but he was pleased over his neighbors' interest in water ways and would suggest to them an easy plan of great usefulness at their very door. The distance from the water shed parting in front of the old toll gate house to his tannery was almost exactly three miles and over prac- tically dead level surface filled with water that runs down from the high ground on both the east and west sides of the valley. Much of the fer tilizing material that had washed down for hundreds of years had been retained and the deposit of enriched muck was very valuable and would | produce excellent crops of many kinds is the water was drained away, which could be accomplished without great expense. ne would begin work near his tannery and lower the channel as far south as the road that leads up to the Bradford farm, which would be easy and not expensive dig ging, but after all the real need was to change the course in several places to avoid natural Instructions that hindered the flow of water and per