282 EXPERIMENTS IN DRAINING. 



neighbor was the source of much curiosity to all 

 around, as none would "believe wheat could be 

 ripened on land so long saturated with water. It 

 was watered, therefore, from the time it came above 

 ground, in the fall, until the last of it was harvested. 

 The result was a crop of wheat, from that ground, 

 abundant in quantity and excellent in quality. 



Such, gentlemen, is the result of my labor in 

 draining. I have forty acres of wheat, now growing 

 on thoroughly drained land. The improvements in 

 my fields and crops have been great and satisfactory, 

 giving me fine crops of wheat, where formerly it 

 froze out. So well satisfied am I of the advantages 

 derived from the system, that I have drained six 

 acres this fall ; and shall continue to drain while I 

 have a wet spot on my farm. Your premium list 

 requires that I should give the increased value of 

 the drained land. I feel it difficult to state it in 

 figures. Our farms here are assessed at from $60 to 

 $70 per acre on the tax books. One view of the 

 value may be taken. Land wholly unproductive, 

 and land worth $60 to $70 per acre. Another view 

 may be taken in the difference in the cost of im- 

 provement, say about $22 or $24 per acre, and its 

 cash value, at this time, of $65 per acre ; but on 

 such land as I have, if I get two crops of wheat 



