LENGTHENING THE SEASON. 211 



always advisable to do it. It is often a question whether it is 

 worth while to drain land, upon which you can raise a crop of 

 grass, for the purpose of putting in other crops. There is a 

 great deal of low land that will yield a very heavy crop of grass, 

 that is not fit for corn land or for market gardening. But if 

 you want to put in corn, or make a market garden, you can do 

 it. You can drain that land and drain it so that you can 

 plough it early. Whether that land requires drainage, can be 

 answered by asking another question, " "What do you want of 

 it ? " Whether it will pay or not depends upon the locality of 

 your market and the value of your product. 



In all land that you desire to plant for corn or for market 

 vegetables, the water should be out so that you can work it in 

 the sprhig as early as any land can be worked, and so that it 

 will keep dry until it is frozen, so that you can go on with 

 cattle and horses in the fall. Upon the point, whether drained 

 land freezes more or less than land undrained, I will say that 

 I have no doubt that drained land freezes deeper than land not 

 drained ; and for this reason. Land that is wet is ordinarily 

 supplied with water from springs, and springs are warmer than 

 snow. That is, they are above the freezing point, and they 

 generally keep those swamps and springy land from freezing 

 deep. If you take the water out four feet deep, very likely the 

 frost will go much deeper than formerly. But one thing has, 

 I think, been fully ascertained, that the frost will come out of 

 drained land much earlier in proportion to the depth of frost, 

 than undrained land. Undrained land freezes much more 

 solid, there being a great deal more water in it, than drained 

 land, and it takes longer for it to come out ; and besides, 

 immediately, when there is any movement of the water below, 

 the moment there is any thawing, it thaws at the top and 

 bottom both, and usually the water will be out at the bottom as 

 soon as it is out at the top. I am speaking now of lands that 

 are not springy. There are lands so full of springs that they 

 remain comparatively open all the year. In fact, many swamps 

 do not freeze at all. 



Mr. Flint. Tliere is a question I would like to ask Judge 

 French, now that he is up, in regard to the most economical 

 method of side-draining in low, marshy lands and wetmeaJows. 

 I suppose it is generally considered that an open centre ditch is 



