86 ON RECLAIMING WET LANDS. 



smooth. This clearing up was only upon the one and a half acres 

 now in moving. The whole was then well drained by making three 

 large and deep ditches lengthwise, one through the centre, be- 

 tween the present mowing and tillage lots, and one on each side. 

 These ditches were three feet or more deep, 4 feet wide at the top 

 and three at the bottom. Also a wide ditch across the lower end. 

 The fuel I obtained from the stumps has paid, I think, all the ex 

 pense of getting them out, as men had made the offer to do this 

 work for the fuel. I therefore consider my expenses as paid up to 

 the spring of 1843, except that of hauling on and spreading about 

 two inches of sandy loam and gravel from an adjoining pit, over the 

 greatest part of the one and a half acres. The remainder I covered 

 afterwards and harrowed and smoothed the whole in the best manner 

 I could, and then planted three fourths of an acre with potatoes, 

 without any manure. The ashes from the burning and the loam 

 I valued much. Roans, long reds and chenangoes were plant- 

 ed and at harvesting 12 hills made a bushel throughout. Cross 

 ditches were made from the marginal to the main ditch, with the 

 plough, and by clearing them out with the hoe. 



Two years from the commencement I finished the remainder of 

 the one and a half acres in the same manner, using no manure until 

 the third year, when I put four cords on the whole, having obtained 

 in each year about the same value in crops of corn and potatoes as at 

 first. These crops even more than paid all expenses to 1843. I 

 then hauled in the winter of 1842, a common top dressing of sandy 

 loam and laid the whole down to grass, sowing a peck of herds grass 

 and half a bushel red top, per acre, after ploughing and harrowing 

 well. 



Produce of the one and a half acres for six years. 



Net amount for six years, $417 00 



