RECLAIMING SWA]\IP-LANDS. 115 



RECLAEvnjs^G swa:mp-la:nds. 



MIDDLESEX SOUTH. 



Statement of Peter Fay. 



The land which I enter for premium was purchased by me 

 in October, 1867, containing five and one-half acres, for which 

 I paid five hundred dollars. It lies near the centre of the 

 town. It had been used generally by the former owner as 

 mowing-land. In the centre of it about two acres was a wet 

 meadow ; some portions of the remainder were very rocky, 

 with hard-pan, cold and springy ; and there were portions 

 not worth mowing. All it was worth for agricultural pur- 

 poses, in the condition it was in when I bought it, was fifty 

 dollars per acre. In the year 1868 I commenced draining, 

 and succeeded in draining the water about two feet from the 

 surface, which I consider is sufBcient for any meadow. In 

 the fall of 1868 I commenced digging and blasting the rocks 

 on the upland, one acre of which was very rocky, many of 

 the bowlders being two and threte feet above the sui-face. I 

 piled them up and drew them ofi" in the winter following. In 

 the year 1869 I finished digging out the rocks where I could 

 not till the first crop of rocks had been removed. I then 

 filled up the large holes with the small rocks to within about 

 eight inches of the top, and left every rock in the ground that 

 would not interfere with the mowing-machine — the rocks in 

 the ground being a great benefit, if the land is to be kept for 

 mowing, as they give heat, moisture and richness to the soil. 

 Aiter finishing the digging of rocks I commenced laying 

 underdrains (in the hard-pan soil) from two and one-half to 

 three feet in depth, and about the same in width. All the 

 drains were laid with stone ; the sluice for the water to pass 

 ofi* was about six inches square ; the ditches were then filled 

 with stone to within eight inches of the surface, the remainder 



