592 [Assembly 



than it is to reclaim an old, worn out piece of land. The land I 

 now have was of this descriptionj and so much reduced that it 

 would scarcely produce a new oat for an old one ; there was a 

 piec« of oats on it, when I took it, that was never harvested^ they 

 were not more than six inches in height. The land is on Cox's 

 Patent, notorious through this State, and perhaps half the United 

 States ; it was occupied by squatters, that destroyed all the tim- 

 ber and partially cleared the land ; their clearing consisted in spots 

 of an acre or two cleared, and as much covered with legs and 

 brush ; their fences were saplings lopped down, three or four rods 

 in width. These small clearings they universally cropped, for 

 fifteen or twenty successive years, always plowing it the same 

 way, so that the part nearest the logs and brush was nearly three 

 feet high, and the part they always finished their plowing in, was 

 eighteen inches deep. It was the worst looking land I ever saw ; 

 but I plainly discovered, the land, in its original state, was good, 

 and on that ground I purchased it, and went to work to endeavor 

 to reclaim it. The first operation was to clear it. so as it could 

 be plowed ; but to clear these spots that were covered with brush 

 and half rotten old logs immediately, was almost impossible -, but 

 it was done enough to plow the greatest part of the land, but 

 such plowing, at that time, was strange to me ; the old logs were 

 chopped, or rather broke in pieces, and exposed to the sun, so 

 that they were principally burned in the fall. The land was 

 plowed several times during the summer, to endeavor to make 

 the surface more even, and in the fall sowed with wheat ; the crop 

 was, as we may suppose, wretched. Grass seeds were sown in the 

 following spring, with but little better success : but poor as it was, 

 it remained in that state for two or three years. During that time 

 I purchased all the straw I could get of the neighbors, which they 

 readily sold me for several years, and thought it a good opportu- 

 nity to dispose of that article, as there was no other market fox it 

 at that time ; but after some years, I suppose they discovered I 

 was applying it to a better advantage than they were, and I could 

 get no more straw 5 but, however, what I had already got, laid 

 the foundation of my future success. The land was lightly ma- 

 nured, plowed and planted with corn, with better success -, the 

 crop was middling. The land, the following year, was sowed 

 with oats ; that crop was also middling. The following spring it 



