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trees arrives at a height of from twelve to sixteen feet, 

 it is most likely the planting will have drained the 

 ditches dry or nearly so. When this is the case, the 

 ditches may be covered over, which can be cheaply 

 done by using the cuttings of small iarch firs laid across 

 the ditches about halfway down, keeping them always 

 open about two feet from the bottom, and covered all 

 over on the surface when the whole can be ploughed 

 over and cropped, the wood in the drains will last 100 

 years, and there will be always plenty got from the 

 thinning of the larch planting for this purpose. 



Second, The second purpose the larch fir planting 

 is to serve is that of manure for the corn lands. 

 It is a well authenticated fact, and known now to 

 the most of agriculturists, that the foliage of the larch 

 firs is excellent manure ; even the branches, if allowed 

 to lie and rot on the ground, will enrich it and make 

 it carry any kind of crop, after the land has been 

 so far drained that it can be laid in crop j such 

 land as is generally in the marshes, will carry three 

 crops without any manure, and for the first years 

 in many cases, four and five crops. What I would 

 propose and I think the best method for keeping 

 the ground always in good heart, is to take three 

 crops, and allow it to rest every fourth year, and 

 clear out the bottom of the ditches, and mix up 

 with the larch foliage and lay it on the selion or 

 ridges ; the last or third year's crop should be cut 

 high, so as to leave a good long stubble, which will 

 also assist greatly to manure the ground. After a 

 very few years, the larch foliage will be found suf- 

 ficient to make a compost for manuring the whole 

 corn land. After the first ten or twelve years, the 

 ground, unless in extremely wet cases, will be so 



