FARM IMPROVEMENTS. 105 



FAEM IMPEOYEMENTS. 



ESSEX. 



From the Itej^ort of the Committee. 



Improving Swamp-Lands. — The members of the Com- 

 mittee met July 5, to view a piece of meadow or swamp- 

 land entered by Mr. Samuel Dane of Hamilton. The piece, 

 containing about six acres in all, is divided by an open ditch 

 into two lots, measuring respectively about four and one-half 

 and one and one-half acres. The land before being improved 

 was a wet, soft muck, ten to fifteen feet deep, about one-half 

 wooded with old maple and pine stumps, the remainder 

 covered with bushes and brambles. It emitted an offensive 

 and miasmatic odor, and was entirely worthless. The main 

 ditch through the piece above spoken of, as well as some 

 other ditches leading into it, were dug before Mr. Dane 

 bought the place ; but these ditches were rendered almost 

 useless by obstructions at the outlet, subsequently removed 

 by a change in the adjoining highway. 



On the small piece Mr. Dane commenced work in 1869, by 

 cutting down the hassocks and digging cross-ditches to the 

 main drain, at intervals of twenty-five feet. Having thus 

 levelled and drained the surface, he covered it with gravel 

 from the adjoining high lands to the depth of three or four 

 inches and sowed grass-seed. With only this treatment, and 

 no manure of any kind, the crop is stated to have been two 

 tons per acre for each of the last five years. The crop of 

 this j^ear was standing, and was estimated by the Committee 

 to come fully up to this standard. Mr. Dane gives the cost 

 of ditching, levelling, etc., as $25 ; the cost of gravelling as 

 $45 ; cost of seed $4 ; and of cutting and saving the hay as 

 $5 per ton, or,$75^a tqtal cost of $149. 



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