254 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



lands for cultivation is, for the present, considered less press- 

 ing. The sickness of Mr. Thomas B. Williams, the largest 

 owner of the marsh-lands, who has taken thus far the leader- 

 ship in the more costly improvements, as deep ditching and 

 ploughing, has caused an entire cessation of all extensive 

 progressive improvements on his lands during the last au- 

 tumn. These temporary disadvantages are, however, well 

 understood ; and it is safe to state that the general interest felt 

 in the enterprise has been by no means checked, but is stead- 

 ily increasing. Wliilst it cannot be denied that many are 

 still keeping aloof from engaging in the improvements, on 

 account of the fear of expenses in regard to the harbor, it 

 is not less certain that more parties have been at work upon 

 the marshes during the past year than at any time since the 

 dike has been built. The latter has been in very good work- 

 ing-order during the past year : the expenses for repairs have 

 not exceeded twenty dollars during that time. 



The opinion expressed in our previous reports, that the 

 question of an efficient drainage ought to be considered of 

 controlling importance, and should receive at the outset 

 the most serious attention, is at present accepted by all, and 

 already verified by experience. More ditching has been 

 done than in any previous year. Wherever the drainage 

 has been neglected, entire barrenness of the area, or a scanty 

 growth of everlasting^ has been the result. The recommen- 

 dation of a common general system of drainage does not yet 

 meet with that general approval which was expected, on 

 account of the opinion of many parties, that the numerous 

 branches of the creek favor sufficiently individual enterprise. 

 Less lands have been ploughed in 1877 than in 1876, for rea- 

 sons already explained. Two hundred and fifty acres, or 

 about one-fifth of the reclaimed lands, are at present under 

 cultivation, including fifty acres of ploughed lands, also 

 lands sown on the sod, besides what has been harrowed, 

 and subsequently sown during the past autumn. Some of 

 the ploughed lands have produced very satisfactory crops, 

 while others have produced but little: these failures are 

 due to several unfavorable local circumstances. In some 

 instances the surface was very uneven still, and covered with 

 large pieces of a turfy material, which during the wet 

 weather turned tough and unmanageable : the harrowing 



