78 MANAGEMENT OF MARSH LANDS, &C. 



This improve- But this interregnum may be much shortened, by reflect* 

 accelerated. * D a on * ts cause > an ^ acting accordingly. If the coarse 

 grasses are to be destroyed, they must not be suffered to 

 seed. If the shallow-rooting fine grasses are to be en- 

 couraged, the earth must be trodden into contact with 

 their roots ; of course mowing should be avoided, and feed- 

 ing in dry weather, as hard as possible, encouraged', and the 

 stock should be that of the cow kind. Horses eat very un- 

 fairly, and are continually running about and poaching the 

 ground; and sheep will pick out all the tine grasses, and 

 leave the coarse. But the surface water must mostly be 

 drained off; and feeding in wet weather, particularly in the 

 winter, avoided as much as possible. 

 The under wa- I am supposing all this while, that the land has been corn- 

 ier must be pletely drained of its under-water, or else it is useless to at- 

 tomplete. r J _ . 



tempt any thing towards its improvement. Manure may as 



well be thrown into the water, as put upon land, which 

 (though not always under water) is full of water every win- 

 ter. Besides, the under-water of marsh land, particularly 

 under the hills which contain veins of blue lyas stone, as in 

 Lincolnshire and Somerset, is frequently so impregnated 

 with sulphur, as to be injurious to vegetation ; and the land 

 never improves much, till this water is completely drained 

 and kept out of it. 

 Suitable ma- When land of this description is recovered, and well 

 xiure requisite, stocked with good grasses as above described ; these grasses 

 should be encouraged by such manures as suit the soil, such 

 as wood-ashes, peat-ashes, soot, and other top-dressings in 

 the spring, till the grasses are completely established ; and 

 then lime, chalk, marl, clay, sand, or whatever suits the 

 land best, may be used in large quantities as alterative ma~ 

 mires, but not until there is a good coat of grass on the 

 land. In the choice of these manures, local manures will 

 be useful ; theory, on the soundest principles, is sometimes 

 fallacious. But the golden rule of agriculture — to use such 

 nununnf^ manures as will make heavy land lighter, and light land 

 heavier; cold land hotter, and hot land colder — must never 

 be lost sight of. He that knows and follows this rule, and 

 he only, is a farmer. 



If any of your land be capable of irrigation, and you have 



water 



