cutting- that year. In the fall it was heavily top-drebsed, with 

 barn-yard manure and thirty bushels of unleached ashes to the 

 acre. The effect of these fertilizers on the mixed gravel and 

 muck Mr. Applcton described to the committee as wonderful, 

 as for the next two seasons he cut over three tons to the acre 

 of the best quality of hay. This, he said, taught him the 

 value of muck land, when mixed with the earth of the uplands,, 

 whether gravel, or sand, or loam. He does not, however, re- 

 commend to others the same treatment of similar lowlands.. 

 The heavy gravelling is too expensive to be profitable, and the- 

 same rcsidt can be much more cheaply reached, b}' draining, 

 then plowing and laying down to grass. Last year and this, 

 he is under-draining with tile the same kind of land, and after 

 lia\ing plowed it, top-dressing it lightly with gravel. In his: 

 opinion, this muck-land does not require as "thorough" drain- 

 ing as heavy clay land does — say sixty feet apart Avill do for 

 the tiles. A five acre lot of such land, which had been cleared 

 of roots, and stumps, and alder bushes, last fall, so that it was 

 plowed and sowed in December, Avas making a good show of 

 grass when the committee saw it. This piece had no other 

 dressing than the ashes of the bushes and stumps biu-ned when 

 it was cleared. 



This fall, ten acres more of this swamp have been plowed, 

 and (In this case) before draining. This has been accom- 

 plished by the use of Holbrook's swivel plow, A^ ith " bog land 

 attachment," by the means of which both oxen A\'alk on the sod. 

 Mr. Applcton regards this as a very valuable arrangement, 

 whicli would have saved him much trouble and expense had he 

 possessed it at the connnenccmont of his improvement of low 

 lands. He will not, however, remit the draining and the top- 

 dressing on tlic j)i('((' just plowed with it. 



Another, and perhaps the most important experiment made 

 by Mr. Applcton in reclaiming swarnp-land, is upon a piece of 

 thirteen- acres, lying upon the line of the Eastern railroad. 

 This piece is " thorough-draiiK d," with round tile and collars, 

 thiity-three feet apart, and three to four feet deep : and a com- 



