1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



701 



The swamp in its natural state is one uniform 

 expanse of the most gigantic and magnificent Ibrest 

 growth ; ofcj'press and blaci<gum and other aqua- 

 tic trees mosily, but with some mixture of oihers 

 more usually lound on dry though low land. Vines 

 and shrubs, of various kinds, Ibrm the under- 

 growih. The whole surface of the earth is kept 

 always (unless in winter) under an impenetrable 

 shade. This dense cover of course must much 

 obstruct evaporation, and, when removed lor til- 

 lage, will greatly lessen the first supply of water 

 to the drains. 



The firsi operation, after digging the main canal, 

 is to kill the trees, which is eti'eclually done by 

 slightly "belling" them, orcutting around through 

 the bark and a little into the wood. Whether this 

 is done in winter or summer, the trees die within 

 one or two years after ; and (what was different 

 from my experience and expectation,) no new 

 sprouts grow out from below the belt. Several 

 persons who intended to drain, commenced their 

 operations by thus killing the trees. But unfortu- 

 nately, this was also the end of their improvement. 

 In such cases, a new and thick (rrowth of alto- 

 gether a ditierent kind rapidly covers the land, 

 which if left undisturbed Ibr a lew years, would 

 be more dilficult to destroy than the original forest. 

 I saw one piece cf second growth thus produced. 

 Nearly all the trees were of a species oi" magnolia, 

 with a very deeply corrugated yet close and firm 

 bark. These beautiful trees were from six to even 

 twelve inches in diameter, with long straiffht bo- 

 dies, clear of limbs to a great height ; which man- 

 , ner of growth is common to all kinds of trees in 

 the svvtimp. But if brought under tillage in pro- 

 per time, the drained swampland is easy to plough, 

 and to manage and get in good order in all re- 

 spects, exceptino; the labor of successive and com- 

 plete removal of the enormous quantity of large 

 decaying trees. 



While the trees are dying, and a year before 

 beginning cultivation, many parallel small cross 

 drains are cut, emptying into !arger ones running 

 at right-angles, anil these again info the main ca- 

 nal. These small drains are from 100 to 200 yards 

 a part, and are covered. They ought to be dug 3 

 feet deep, and tlie wooden covering to be 2^ below 

 the surface. For want of such depth, some have 

 already failed, and have been re-opened Ibr repair. 

 There could be no better subsoil in which to make 

 covered drains, as the bottom is always in the ad- 

 hesive blue clay. In this a narrower channel is 

 dug, to serve for the pipe, leaving shoulders of the 

 clay, on which, and across the open pine below, 

 short split boards of heart-cypress, (which is al- 

 most imperishable,) are laid. Dr. xlrmistead 

 thinks that, in addition to the great convenience to 

 cultivation of covered compared to ope7i ditches, 

 that the former serve even better to take in the wa 



which the surface-water finds a passage into them. 

 Wherever water can descend through cavities, it 

 will certainly carry along with it more or less of 

 fine earth ; and the little descent in the course of 

 the drains will cause this earth to remain in, and 

 at last choke the pipe. And if such should not be 

 the result, there may be another opposite evil 

 nearly as great. As the vegetable part of the soil 

 shall decay, the texture will become closer, and 

 water cannot, as now, sink into the earth, or 

 through the covering of the drains, and, of course, 

 in the same proportion will the operation of the 

 drains be lessened. Though so much more trou- 

 blesome during cultivation, I should prefer a smaller 

 number of deep open drains, into which should 

 empty the deep and clean water-furrows of wide 

 and high beds. However — where every thing ia 

 so new to me, it is my business to gather and re- 

 ceive, instead of offering to give instruction to others 

 who are better, because more practically informed, 

 as to the peeuliarities of this soil. The main ca- 

 nal on Dr. Armistead's land not only needs deep- 

 ening, but the smaller drains are yet to be dug for 

 much the greater part of the land, which the canal 

 will serve" to lay dry. Of more than 500 acres 

 which will be so drained, and for which the most 

 expensive work is done, only 180 acres have been 

 yet made ready Ibr cultivation. From that, (prin- 

 cipally, for his highland is of the general mean 

 quality,) he counts on making 1500 barrels of corn; 

 and certainly he has made a most splendid and 

 profitable addition to the previous stale of his pro- 

 perty. This land is usually estimated, as 1 was 

 inlbrmed, at less than a dollar the acre ; and /br 

 that price any quantity may now be bought. The 

 draining upon a proper plan and a large scale 

 would be far from expensive; and when drained, 

 the land would be well worth i§50 the acre, if the 

 most leriile land in the country is worth that sum. 

 If its durability will be equal to its fertility, it would 

 be cheap at .^lOO the acre. Yet almost every 

 poor landholder in this county, who is barely 

 leeding his family by the incessant tillage and ex- 

 haustion of the poor narrow ridges, also owns of 

 this swamp what would make a princely estate. 

 But it is not only the poor and the ignorant, but 

 the rich and the better inlbrmed, who neglect this 

 incalculable source of value. For with the excep- 

 tion of a very few such improvements, (the most 

 important of which I have not yet seen,) the 

 drainage of the swamp lands is either not thought 

 of by proprietors, or considered as among the many 

 visionary schemes of book-farmers. 



If drainage were effected even to but slight ex- 

 tent, this region ought to be one of the best for 

 grass husbandry, and fbr cattle. But the making 

 of hay is not tliought of, though so much of the 

 land is so admirably suited to grass. The reeds 

 and other (jrass of the swamps in their natural 



ter by filtration, than the latter do by its flowing stale w-ould make most valuable pasturage for cat- 



in ; Ibr so level, and so porous is the soil, that, 

 even when overflowed by a heavy rain, the water 

 scarcely runs at all into ditches, but ra[)iuly disap- 

 pears by sinking into the earth. But though a 

 strenuous advocate Ibr covered drains where they 

 are suitable, and having had much experience in 

 their construction and of their benefits, 1 {'ear that 

 objections to them, though not now suspected, will 

 be found hereafter; and that their present eificacy 

 is owing to what will ultimately cause their filling 

 up and destruction as drains — that is, the ease with 



tie; and still better (br hogs, with what they would 

 get by rooting. But the bears are so numerous 

 and destructive to both hogs and cattle, that there 

 is little gained by their rangihg at large in the 

 swamps. Bears very rarely venture into the cul- 

 vated lands ; and never leave the swamp unless 

 Ib'rced by hunger. Yet so plenty are they in their 

 haunts in the great swamp, that one man in this 

 neighborhood, (of course a great bear-hunter,) 

 killed sixteen in one season, the fall of 1838, 



