116 ESSAY ON RECLAIMING WET LANDS. 



enrich, for these depositories are riches of themselves, and the appli- 

 cations mentioned, may only correct some acidity, or render the land 

 more retentive of moisture ; however this may be, they give powers 

 of production. And it is well known, from various experiments, that 

 such lands do, in some instances, continue to produce from two to 

 three tons of good hay to the acre, without additional top dressing, 

 for six years ; there are few instances, I think, of uplands doing 

 this. It is also an encouraging circumstance to any who fear, (on i 

 the score of expense,) to experiment on the improvement of these 

 meadows and swamp lands, that we have within our knowledge sev- 

 eral instances, where the first crop has amply paid the whole expense 

 of the operation of reclaiming. 



If I have succeeded in showing the true, or supposed value of 

 the kinds of wet meadows and swamps referred to, it remains for 

 me to attempt to show the best methods of managing them after 

 draining. Some think best to dig over the land, throwing out the 

 stumps, which it has been found may be done at an expense of from 

 twenty to thirty dollars per acre. But it is found in numerous in- 

 stances, that the stumps, for fuel, will well pay all the expense of 

 throwing them out. If, then, the expense of getting out the stumps 

 is thus cancelled, and the expense of digging over amounts to twenty 

 dollars or more per acre, it would undoubtedly be much cheaper to 

 plough the ground when practicable, by attaching a pair of Avheels 

 to the plough, to remedy the difficulty of driving the off oxen in the 

 furrow, which would be miry, and thus bringing the oxen on to the 

 swarded and harder part of the meadow. Where all parts of the 

 ground have been found too soft for oxen to travel, some ingenious 

 men have contrived the method of fastening a strong rope to the 

 plough, running to the upland, or hard edge of the meadow, and 

 passing through a running tackle, and driving the oxen at right an- 

 gles with the furrows. The ground I find may be thus ploughed 

 with more expedition than one at first would suppose ; the plough 

 will run with a roller attached, or even with onl}' a rolling cutter, 

 without going too deep. Undoubtedly many other expedients which 

 yankec ingenuity could suggest, may be adopted. But there are 

 many tracts of such meadow, which are already free from bushes and 

 trees, where there would be no need of inverting the sod. In such 

 cases, after the land is well drained by main, cross and marginal 

 ditches, it may be covered with one inch only of coarse gravel, 



