THE IRRIGATION AGE. 129 



and quite necessary for farm purposes. To clear this land of roots 

 and stones after the timber and underwood were removed would cost 

 not less than 8 per acre; to drain it and get it somewhat level, about 

 8 more; to plow properly and seed it, another 8 that is if your 

 teams, men, dwellings and supply of provisions and water were near 

 at hand and labor estimated at present prices. 



It must be understood that there are proper seasons for all these 

 various operations as the winter for felling wood; any time would 

 do for grubbing up roots and clearing, of course it would be winter 

 as all labor is better employed at other seasons. Draining should be 

 done at the end of autumn; plowing as soon as the draining is finished. 

 On heavy soils the plowing must cease after the rains have set in, and 

 only be done in the open weather. The crops should be either tares, 

 rye, oats or potatoes; the yield in most cases would not be up to the 

 average perhaps a partial failure the first year. The next year 

 should be fallow or have an extra dressing of nitrate manure. The 

 cost of fencing off has not been estimated, as it might be done at any 

 time. 



Now comes the robust, happy harvest. According to the yield 

 would be the cost of garnering it. Like seeding, i. e. , planting, har- 

 vesting has its own critical season. This is a time when hands are 

 scarce, but women and children all help usefully. "Wages are about 

 three times the ordinary rate; experience and good management are 

 requisite; and on this occasion a "lord" is appointed by the men from 

 among themselves to guide and control them. 



Threshing and selling follow. Now look to the "Dr. and Cr " 

 account, and the first year may show improved land, but at a cost 

 which would require three years of good farming to follow. After 

 that the land might be considered established for cultivation. . 



Dwellings, barns, machinery and tools, roads, wells, cattle, all 

 must be added as the farming progresses, these being done or supplied 

 as time and money favored 



Here make an estimate of the cost of converting heath and moor- 

 land into arable land; the process is nearly similar, but the cost would 

 not be more than half that of- wood-land, but as a general rule the 

 staple is not so good, nor would the gain to the community be so 

 great, for the heaths and moors of England feed countless flocks of 

 sheep and cattle, as well as horses, donkeys and geese of the cottagers 

 residing in the verge of these commons. I may here remark that 

 wages are higher in the vicinity of large tracts of common or waste 

 land. There is a "kinder- sorter Hades-union"' between the man and 

 the land, on which he turns his little live stock; they help to keep 

 him from being reduced to starvation wages and make him somewhat 

 independent of his task-master. 



Marsh-land would be the most difficult and uncertain to reduce t 



