44 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



in a way that led me to think that, if we could grow it in 

 the vicinity of New York in that way, we w^ould grow 

 nothing else. I think on some of your lands here it would 

 be excellent. 



Mr. Peterson. I represent a district where there are 

 large tracts of marsh land being reclaimed from the ocean. 

 Have you any idea as to the probability of making aspara- 

 gus and celery grow profitably on those lands, — marsh 

 lands, which formerly produced nothing but salt hay? 



Mr. Henderson. If sufficiently drained, and if you can 

 get rid of the salt. You must get rid of salt from the soil. 

 But the best test for any such crop as that is first to experi- 

 ment with corn. If corn will grow, anything will grow ; if 

 corn will not grow, then you need not try anything else. 

 Such land as you refer to- would be just the very soil for 

 asparagus, if you could get it clear of water and clear of 

 salt. There is an impression abroad that salt is necessary 

 for asparagus. I do not think it is necessary at all, and 

 certainly neither asparagus nor anything else will grow if 

 there is salt in the soil to any extent, because that is quickly 

 fatal to all sorts of vegetable life. 



Mr. Hall. I would like to inquire whether it would be 

 necessary to put sand or fine gravel on that marsh land 

 before celery or asparagus will grow there ? 



Mr. Henderson. I think not, sir. It does not make 

 any diflference what the crop is, — you must first get rid of 

 the water. We have sections in the vicinity of Jersey City, 

 the marshes leading from Jersey City to Newark, where 

 thirty years ago they put up extensive works and pumped 

 up the water from open drains ; and they had the finest 

 growth, I think, I ever saw of fruit and other trees. But 

 for some reason they failed to continue the removal of water 

 from the soil, and the whole thing died. In Lancashire, 

 England, they have marshes, I presume, of the same char- 

 acter as those to which the gentleman has referred ; and 

 they have now steam pumps drawing water -continually and 

 removing it from the ditches, so that the water stands at 

 least four feet below the surface of the soil, and in that way 

 they get the best vegetable crops produced in England. 



Mr. A. H. Fitch. Permit me to make a remark in 



