54 On reclaiming Marsh Land, 



mouth of the Christiana creek, or Deep-water point, grow 

 the three square, the two kinds of reeds, and fresh rose- 

 mary ; and from thence up the river (the water being 

 fresh) grow the bull rush, three square, only one kind of 

 reed, wild oats, flags or cat- tails, fox- tail, spatter dock, 

 and the vvarer lilly. For bringing into cultivation such 

 unproductive marshes, the universal practice throughout 

 our county (until a few years ago) was, to dig a ditch 

 parallel, and about six feet distant from the footing of the 

 intended bank, and from that to make a bank of such 

 form and size as accorded with the judgment of the 

 owner. After the bank had stood a year or two, it be- 

 came apparent that it had not only settled, but that the 

 foundation had inclined towards the large ditch. To keep 

 up the bank to its proper height, it was then thought 

 necessary to dig a ditch about ten or twelve feet in the 

 inside, and pack that on the bank ; but even this me- 

 thod did not permanently remedy the defect. The evil 

 of such proceedings was apparent, because the founda- 

 tion could never be made sufficiently firm to support so 

 great a quantity of mud, without settling so low as to 

 admit the tide from overflowing the same, unless frequent 

 additions of fresh mud from time to time were made to 

 keep it up to its former height ; and even then the ex- 

 pense and difl[iculty have been increased, in consequence 

 of the scarcity of mud, both within and outside of the 

 bank, and of the great pressure of mud forcing the foun- 

 dation into the ditches. Another very serious evil was, 

 that these ditches afforded an easy and safe passage for 

 the muskrats and fidlers to enter at all parts of the bank, 

 and thus admit the water, so as frequently to break it. 



TIDE BANK. 



In the present improved method of reclaiming wild 

 marsh from the tide, the first thing to be done is, to stake 



