252 On Salt Marsh, 



was done at various prices, until, by a fair experiment, 

 we brought the labour within calculation. Our main 

 drains cost about one dollar and fifty cents, per perch, 

 while the ditches averaged thirty- seven and a half cents ; 

 they could now be cut for thirty cents per perch. The 

 average cost for dyking, draining and sluicing, we esti- 

 mate at twenty -five dollars per acre. Having thus ex- 

 plained the mode adopted by us in draining and enclos- 

 ing the grounds, we shall proceed to answer the sixth 

 inquiry, to wit : The steps taken, and the success of 

 them, for bringing the drained marsh into profitable cul- 

 ture? And here we must remark, that we are yet in a 

 course of experiment ; when we purchased these marsh- 

 es and commenced their reclamation, we possessed no 

 practical knowledge of agriculture, nor could we find a 

 person, upon whose experience in marshes we could re- 

 ly, to direct us in our operations ; hence the necessity of 

 various experiments to ascertain the best mode of bring- 

 ing them into profitable cultivation ; these we will detail, 

 in the hope that others, who may be engaged in similar 

 improvements, may profit by our experience. We shall 

 commence with experiments made on the Hoboken 

 marsh, which was embanked, sluiced and ditched, in the 

 spring and summer of 1814. This piece of ground con- 

 tains about three hundred and twenty acres, situated up- 

 on the Hudson river, and opposite the city of New York, 

 and is what is usually termed salt marshy the water here 

 being nearly as salt as the ocean. Upon a small piece, 

 near the centre of the marsh, prepared by cutting the sod, 

 some peas, beans, onions, beets and other vegetables, 

 were sown in the month of May, of that year : they all 



