208 THE TIM BUNKER PAPERS. 



saw a quarter less. With manure I can get three tuns 

 easier than I can get two upon upland. 



The rushes and sour stuff that Deacon Little makes such 

 a fuss about grow smaller every year, and will soon dis 

 appear entirely. There is, however, a need of one more 

 drain in this lot, to make perfect work, and that I calcu 

 lated on when I began the job. I did not care to be at 

 the expense of putting it down unless it was necessary. 

 It was just fifty feet between the last two drains I laid 

 down, and I can see now that it needs another just half 

 way between. It has always been too wet along this 

 middle line, the grass has not been so heavy, and it is 

 here that the brakes and rushes are found principally. It 

 is as clean as ciphering can make it, that there ought to 

 be another drain there. Indeed, I have lost considerable 

 money by waiting so long, say half a tun of hay annually 

 for three years. But what I have lost in money I have 

 gained in knowledge. It is worth something to know 

 just when and where to -drain. For such land as this 

 twenty-five feet is none too near, and three feet is none 

 too deep. I would drain three inches deeper if I could 

 get the falL But three feet makes very good work, and 

 land so drained I arn sure will never turn Indian. 



I never was fool enough to suppose that such land 

 would keep up to three tuns to the acre without manure 

 of some kind. But some men demand this, and because 

 drained swales and swamps will not take care of them 

 selves, they think draining a failure. This is unreasona 

 ble. Parson Spooner preached a few Sundays ago about 

 &quot; not muzzling the ox that treads out the corn,&quot; applying 

 it, among other things, to giving a good bounty to the 

 soldiers. You see, Hookertown took the hint next town- 

 meeting day, and voted $100 to every man that would 

 enlist. I thought the truth would apply to the sile, as 

 well as to soldiers and oxen. It is about the best worker 

 man has got, and we have no business to starve it. I 



