IMPROVEMENT OF SALT-MARSHES. 355 



with excellent success. The surface proved thoroughly- 

 rotten, and produced a mellow soil, which will be turned 

 to account, during the coming season, for the production of 

 corn and root-crops. Under the present still somewhat 

 uncertain prospects regarding the future privileges of the 

 owners of the reclaimed marshes, but little can be said 

 against the present practice quite generally adopted of 

 merely harrowing the surface for the production of grasses ; 

 being for the time the cheapest mode of cultivation. All 

 parties, however, interested in the enterprise, will do well to 

 remember that the real value of the reclaimed marsh-lands 

 for general farming-purposes cannot be fully known, and 

 thus duly appreciated, until the plough shall have trans- 

 formed to a considerable depth its various surface-layers 

 (which differ more in regard to the size of the material which 

 constitutes them than in regard to their general chemical 

 character) into a uniform compact soil mass. 



The land harrowed and sown to grass the past year yielded 

 a satisfactory crop. Timothy QPhleum pratense, L.) and 

 red-top (Agrostis vulgaris, L.), either alone or mixed, have 

 given good results. Experiments with grass-mixtures, similar 

 to those advised in a former report, are decided upon : they 

 failed to be carried out during the past year on account of 

 some misunderstanding by the party intrusted with the 

 work. The seeds have been secured by Dr. Henry, a gentle- 

 man leading in the improvement of the marshes. 



Grass, rye, and oats have been the principal crops raised 

 during the last season. Garden-vegetables did not succeed 

 as well as in previous years on account of the dryness of 

 the summer. Strawberries and onions did, however, remark- 

 ably well : the latter received the first premium at the 

 Agricultural Fair. Wherever the grounds were uniformly 

 covered with grass, the crop of hay has amounted to from 

 two to three tons per acre : smaller areas have quite fre- 

 quently yielded at a larger rate. 



N. Ford & Son secured forty tons of hay, N. Holbrook 

 secured fifty tons of hay, S. Henry secured eighty tons of 

 hay, S. P. Ford secured twenty tons of hay, G. M. Baker 

 secured thirty-five tons of hay, estate of T. B. Williams 

 secured fifty tons of hay, M. Goodhue secured thirty tons of 

 hay ; and many other parties, in smaller lots : in all four hun- 



