1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



469 



and executed as to very essentially improve them, 

 at a reasonable outlay, under the circumstances. 

 In locations, however, where the value of land is 

 high, and its products are near market and bear 

 a high price, the thorough underdraining of bog- 

 meadows and swaly lands needing that process, 

 proves invariably a profitable investment. I have 

 myself observed several specimens of underdrain- 

 ing, both with stone and tile, that have produced 

 an astonishing change in the land, and from 

 which very satisfactory returns are yearly realized. 



It is often the case in New England, that wet 

 lands are quite favorably situated for draining, 

 so that a comparatively small outlay of well-di- 

 rected labor will relieve them of undue moisture 

 and coldness, and much change the quality of 

 their products. Where the moisture arises from 

 surface water, then it is only necessary to carry 

 it off by open ditches. Or where the moisture is 

 produced by springs flowing in from the adjoin- 

 ing higher lands, and the surface soil rests upon 

 a subsoil not too close and impervious, then by 

 simply opening a suitable ditch around the wet 

 field, or across the side where the water comes 

 in, so as to cut it off and conduct it away, and 

 plowing the land deep and fine, backfurrowing it 

 into beds of two to three rods wide, clearing out 

 the dead furrows and smoothing up any little de 

 pressions there may be in the general surface of 

 the beds, the land may be so far improved as to 

 produce fine crops of grass certainly, and per- 

 haps a rotation of good farm crops generally, 

 will mention two of the instances of this kind of 

 improvement that have come under my observa- 

 tion. 



Mr. Charles C. Lynde, of Guilford, Vt., has a 

 tract of land situated on a gentle slope to the 

 South, wliich was formerly too wet and cold for 

 tillage purposes, and was mostly overrun with in- 

 ferior grasses of a swampy nature. The wetness 

 proceeded from a belt of cold springs, issuing out 

 of the higher lands all along the upper or noilh- 

 erly edge of this field. A ditch was opened across 

 the slope, on the upper side, and early in June, 

 the wet land was deeply plowed, and then har- 

 rowed thoroughly. In August it was cross plowed, 

 and harrowed several times both ways, so as to 

 level the little inequalities of the surface as well 

 as might be. Then it was laid up in quite crown- 

 ing beds, two rods in widtfi, by backfurrowing 

 each bed two or three times with the plow, lay- 

 ing the beds up and down the slope. The dead 

 furrows were cleared out with the shovel, spread- 

 ing the dirt upon the beds, and levelling up any 

 little hollows in them. The land was dressed with 

 a compost of one part horse manure to about 

 three parts sandy loam, and seeded thickly with 

 herds-grass and red-top. It has produced heavy 

 crops of good hay for several years, and will con- 

 tinue to do so by an occasional plowing, manur- 

 ing and reseeding, or by top-dressing alone. 



A few years since, in visiting the late Judge 

 Hayes, athis residence in South Berwick, Me., 

 my attention was directed to a lowland meadow 

 of sixty acres, comprising a portion of his farm, 

 and which he had brought into good grass. The 

 meadow is of oblong shape, quite uniform width, 

 and surrounded on all sides by gradually rising 

 uplands. A large portion of it had been cleared 

 ar.d mowed annually as sour meadow, for a very 

 long period. The meadow had no natural outlets 



and was made Avet by springs flowing in from the 

 uplands, which though not sufficiently numerous 

 to form a pond upon the surface, yet remaining 

 in the soil, made it cold, wet and boggy. On the 

 outer edges, where there was the most water, the 

 muck was from one to two feet deep, and gradu- 

 ally lessened towards the centre, where it was six 

 or eight inches deep — the whole resting on a 

 clayey bottom. A ditch three feet deep, and of 

 suitable width to give a good slope to the sides, 

 was opened all around the edge of the meadow, 

 thus cutting ofi' all springs from the uplands. The 

 water was all collected in one channel at the low- 

 er end of the meadow, and conducted off through 

 a deep cut made in the upland, which at this point 

 is lower than elsewhere, and after going a short 

 distance, a sufficient natural descent was found 

 to dispose of the water without further digging. 



After ditching, a few acres of the meadow were 

 each year plowed up by backfurrowing into beds 

 of two rods in width, the dead furrows were 

 cleared out pretty deeply, spreading the earth 

 upon the beds and levelling their inequalities. 

 Compost made of manure and upland loam was 

 carried on to the land by sledding in the winter, 

 and the next season spread and harrowed in, and 

 the land seeded to grass. After mowing about 

 five years, the land was again plowed by backfur- 

 rowing, manured and reseeded. In process of time 

 the whole meadow was reclaimed in this way, and 

 produced a great quantity of good hay. The 

 meadow eventually became so settled and firm as 

 to be accessible at all times with loaded teams. 



But my communication is getting quite too 

 long, though I think of several other points I 

 would like to mention in connection with this 

 matter of draining. F. Holbkook. 



Brattleboro' , Aug. 10, 1858. 



KEEPING THE TEETH CLEAIf. 



Microscopical examinations have been made of 

 the matter deposited on the teeth and gums of 

 more than forty individuals, selected from all 

 classes of society, in every variety of bodily con- 

 dition, and in nearly every case animal and veg- 

 etable parasites have been discovered. Of the 

 animal parasites there were three or four species, 

 and of the vegetable, one or two. In fact, the 

 only persons whose mouths were found to be 

 completely fi-ee of them, cleansed their teeth four 

 times daily, using soap. One or two of these in- 

 dividuals also passed a thread between the teeth, "^ 

 to cleanse them more eff"ectuanj'. In all cases 

 the number of parasites was greater in proportion 

 to the neglect of cleanliness. The effect of the 

 application of various agents was also noticed. 

 Tobacco juice and smoke did not injure their vi- 

 tality in the least. The same was true of the 

 chlorine tooth-wash, of pulverized bark, of soda, 

 ammonia, and various other popular detergents. 

 The application of soap, however, appears to de- 

 stroy them instantly. We may hence infer that 

 this is the best and most proper specific for the 

 teeth. In all cases where it has been tried it re- 

 ceived unqualified commendation. It may also 

 be proper to add that none but the purest white 

 or Castile soaps should be used. We have been 

 in the habit of using finely pulverized charcoal 

 for this purpose, and have found it a most excel- 

 lent dentifrice. — Scientific American. 



