On reclaiming Marsh Land. 67 



practice here to sow the grass seed among the reeds, 

 flags and wild oats, disregarding their height. I have 

 been credibly informed a man a few miles from me, 

 sowed timothy among a most extraordinary growth of 

 such plants, and who, when the seeding was finished, 

 took a common gate (not having a roller) and drag- 

 ged it over the rubbish until it was flattened down ; 

 the rubbish soon rotted upon the moist surface, and 

 afforded an abundant nutriment for the tender sets ; the 

 consequence was an extraordinary crop of grass the fol- 

 lowing year, 



I would wish to be distinctly understood, that the seed 

 should be sown on the marsh, while it is yet in its wet 

 state, and before the frost of winter or heat of summer, 

 should either pulverise or dry the surface ; for both these 

 natural causes operating on the surface after the seed has 

 been sown, will do more for the embryo seed just spring- 

 ing into existence, than (in large bodies of marsh) hun- 

 dreds, nay, I might say thousands of dollars worth of la- 

 bour could effect. After the seed shall have been sown, 

 (and from long experience I can assert) that the best and 

 only sure way of speedily getting your meadow into 

 grass, is to pasture it, as severely as possible, for the first 

 and even second year. The wild herbage being kept 

 down by the number of cattle continually feeding thereon, 

 will afford the tender grass an opportunity to take root ; 

 while at the same time their continued treading of the 

 soil, tends to bury the seed among the loose and decay- 

 ing rubbish, and to render the surface more compact ; 

 for on that depends the growth of the artificial grasses, 

 and the destruction at the same time of the wild plants* 

 I, consider as a truth, that the mellower a marsh is made^ 

 tTie less liable are grass seeds to take root, (although di- 

 rectly the reverse is the case in upland) 01% if they should 

 happen to take root, thev might vegetate for a while i. 



