278 EXPERIMENTS IN DRAINING. 



order to show the benefits derived by me, the follow- 

 ing remarks will be necessary to me the results 

 are very satisfactory and conclusive. My farm is 

 on the east side of the Seneca Lake, opposite to 

 Geneva and immediately adjoining the farm of your 

 honorable President, John Delafield, Esq. About 

 six years ago I began to drain a field on the boun- 

 dary line between Mr. Delafield and myself; the 

 field contains about 20 acres, of which six were then 

 subject to drainage ; the six acres had seldom given 

 a remunerating crop, even of grass ; after draining 

 the six acres, the whole field was plowed and pre- 

 pared for corn, two acres being reserved for pota- 

 toes. The usual care was given to the cultivation 

 of the whole crop, which, during its growth, showed 

 a marked difference between the drained and un- 

 drained portions of the field ; the yield of this field 

 proved to be the largest ever raised, as I believe, in 

 the county, the product being eighty-three bushels 

 and over, per acre ; when the corn was husked and 

 housed, it was weighed and measured in the ear, 

 and allowing seventy-five pounds to the bushel, as 

 has been customary in this region, for corn and cob, 

 the product was as above stated. This field attracted 

 much attention, from my neighbors and other gen- 

 tlemen from more distant places ; it was examined 



