236 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



From the Old Colony Memorial. 

 AGRICULTURAL STATEMENT. 



By Doct. Macomber. 

 To the Trustees of the Plymouth County Agricul- 

 tural Society. 

 [Concluded from pa^e 226.] 

 In the spring ol" 1823, vegetation in general 

 was backward, and the grass in the swamp ap- 

 peared not more promising, than in many oth- 

 er places, but as the season advanced, the growth 

 became more rapid, and by tlie last of June the 

 grass was stout. Thougn the grass had lodged 

 a little in some places, yet it was growing more 

 rapidly the first of July, than it had done at any 

 previous time. A small part only of the herds- 

 grass and line top and less than half the clover 

 had blossomed. VVhile in this flourishing state, a 

 heavy rain on the 6th of July brought the clo- 

 ver with much of the herdsgrass and finetop 

 to the ground. The next day on examining 

 the grass, I found that the decay at root in fu- 

 ture would probably much more than balance 

 the gain of grass at top; and thai though the 

 crop might gain in weight liy standing longer, 

 yet would lose in value, and that a second crop 

 would be proportionally less valuable. I there- 

 fore determined immediately to cut it, though 

 the shrink might be greater, and the weight of 

 the crop considerably less. I resolved not to 

 sacrilice substance to sound. 



On the 8th of July, I began mowing the 

 swamp ; although it was misty, and the atmos- 

 phere was loaded with vapors. At noon the 

 clouds disappeared, and seven days of as fine 

 hay weather succeeded, as are usually seen. 

 The greener and more sappy hay lay expos- 

 ed to the sunshine of live successive days, 

 having beCu cocked at night and spread 

 out in the morning. I was told by some that 

 1 made it too much ; but though it was abundant- 

 ly dried, yet I think it will gather sufficient 

 moisture in the mow to be good hay, and I have 

 no apprehension, that it will be mowburned. It 

 was carried into the barn, a distance of a few 

 rods only, upon poles, and weighed during the 

 heat of the afternoon, and on the 14th of July 

 the weight was found to be '7739 lbs. or 3 tons, 

 9 cwt. 11 lbs. 



On the 31st of July the swamp was surveyed 

 by Joseph Clift, jr. Esq. with the assistance of 

 the man, who was chielly concerned in cutting 

 the grass, making the hay, and weighing it ; 

 and was found after making a deduction for the 

 unproductiveness of ditches and drains, to con- 

 tain one acre and thirty-four rods. 



On the 9th of September we commenced gel- 

 ting the second crop on the swamp, and on the 

 17th the weight of the same was ascertained 

 to be 4102 lbs. or 1 ton. 16 cwt. 70 lbs. 



This, added to the weiglit of the first crop,gives 

 in the whole 11841 lbs. or 5 tons, 5 cwt. 81 lbs. 

 which is after the rate of 4 tons 7 cwt. 21 lbs. 

 per acre. 



The swamp is not yet " tabula rasa." It is 

 not exhausted by the energies, it has already 

 put forth. During the nine days, we have been 

 employed in getting the last crop, it has shot up 

 spires of grass more than 7 inclies above the 

 cutting. Already it assumes a delightful verdure. 

 Thus it appears, that the wealth of our coun- 

 try lies buried beneath stagnant water, and an 

 exuberance of useless herbage and bushes, 



fruitful source, teeming with the seeds of fever, 

 and giving off to everv breeze the noisome 

 breath of pestilence. And shall we sleep on 

 regardless of the truest interests of agriculture ? 

 regardless of our health ? Shall we tread be- 

 neath our feet, as worthless, sources of wealth 

 far richer than the mines of Potosi ? Shall we 

 go on still negligent of those great depositories 

 of vegetable life, from whose prolific bed might 

 be drawn an amount of food, equal to the sup- 

 port of a population, many times exceeding the 

 present population of the United States' 



Without doubt the writer might have rear- 

 ed on his swamp much greater crops, than 

 those stated in tliis paper, if he had made a free 

 use of manures ; liut if he had done this, it 

 would have been said by many 'these crops 

 are not the effect of the richness of the swamp- 

 soil ; they are the effect of manures.' There 

 is now no place tor this kind of reasoning. No 

 waggon-wheels groaning beneath the pressure 

 of compost have passed over this spot ; nor has 

 the soil, already blackish, been blackened by ma- 

 nures. The soil needs little manure. Swamp- 

 soil is in itself manure ; and is in truth the farm- 

 er's mine. 



By judicious application of manures swamp- 

 soil might doubtless be brought to yield as 

 great crops of hay, as any soil whatever. — And 

 it is probable, that instead of mowing it twice, 

 it might be necessary to mow it three limes in 

 a season; in ordor to prevent its lodging. Bat 

 robbing other lands of their proportion of ma- 

 nure to raise one piece to an unnatural fertili- 

 ty may be about as wise, as for a man to starve 

 his stock of cattle to rear a fat ox to be exhibit- 

 ed at a cattle-show with this difference, that 

 salt will preserve the ox when slaughtered; 

 but it is uncertain, whether salt will preserve 

 his three green crops of grass, unless at each 

 time of cutting he should be miraculously favor- 

 ed with fine hay weather. 



For reducing swamps and low lands to the 

 necessary degree of dryness no specific rules 

 can be given. The differences of situation and 

 soil, the number of springs and brooks, and 

 their relative position, the existence of shaking 

 grounds, the unevenness at the surface, and 

 the risings and depressions of the pan beneath, 

 are matters, which demand correspondent differ- 

 ences of management. .Much less will it be 

 proper to adhere to the directions of European 

 writers, for they have been conversant with 

 soils widely different from ours. The circum- 

 stances of the spot of ground before us can alone 

 dictate a judicious mode of proceedure. When 

 one writer tells us, that drained swamps will 

 produce 4 tons of English hay per acre, and 

 more than 90 bushels of Indian corn per acre 

 without manure, we may safely believe him 

 When another writer tells us, that to drain a sha 

 king ground we must dig the ditch at the outlet 

 as deep, as the bottom of such ground, it will be 

 best to withhold our assent; for swamps maybe 

 made so dry, as to produce but small crops of 

 grass, while on the other hand they may be 

 left in so wet a state, as to produce grasses only 

 of the inferior kinds. In draining a swamp iti 

 not a little difficult to retain the proper degree of 

 moisture ; for it is not more vain to exjiect a 

 plentiful crop of good grasses without the indu 

 ence of the sun, than to expect such a crop 

 without a considerable degree of moisture situ- 

 ated not far from the surface of the soil. 



From situation some wet soils, cannot bi 

 claimed by draining and ridge-plonghings, 

 may be made good meadow by carting out 

 on them sand and gravel, or compost, in w 

 sand is a prinripal ingredient. But this is 

 quently an expensive operation. It will ah 

 be proper as well to count the cost as to c; 

 late profit. 



If any manures are necessary on swamp i 

 they are such, as promote the decompositic 

 vegetable substances. But this effect 

 sometimes be as well produced by ploughi 

 for loosening and breaking up the soil hi 

 plough lets into it heat and air, which will 

 water already present, are all the agents ni 

 sary to decompose and break down the soil 

 give it the desired fertility. 



The air is composed of an infinity of g; 



of vapours exhaled from the bosom of the t 

 as much more fertilizing, than the more c 

 and earthy manures, as volatile alkali is i 

 fertilizing, than the fixed. The atmosp 

 3 a grand laboratory, in which God, the mi 

 Chemist is continually carrying on an en 

 variety of operations, and while he is decon 

 ing some atmospheric substances, is doul 

 orming new compounds from others. The 

 therelbre, who ridge-ploughs his wet groi 

 has the satisfaction of thinking, while he is f 

 ing drains in the most expeditious manner 

 reducing his soil to desirable fineness, tha 

 is likewise throwing it up (if the writer mf 

 allowed the expression) within the influen 

 atmospheric manures, and is causing it to bei 

 in such a manner the recipient of a thoi 

 gasses, that by the cliemical action of e 

 and airs the quality of his soil is greatly im[ 

 ed. 



The writer concludes by once more re 

 ing a short sentence, that deserves to be w: 

 in letters of gold, " Venerate the Plough 



EXTRACT 



From an Jlddnss, delivered at the fifth Anniv( 

 Meeting of the Saratoga County Jlgricu i 

 Society, held at Ballston Spa, on the Stkdl 

 October, 1823. By Earl Stimson, Esq I 

 sidcnt of the Society. 



" Industry, and economy combined, froo 

 true philosophers stone, which turns all 

 gold. Without these essential qualificatior 

 one can be a respectable, or an useful me 

 of Society. They are therefore among • j 

 principles which should be instilled int( 

 child from his earliest infancy. — They 

 generally exist together, and are both so i 

 pensably necessary to success in any pursi 

 life, that where one is wanting, the olbe 

 all practical purposes may as well be abse 

 For without industry, economy will be of 

 vail. — .\nd without economy, the fruits t 

 dustry are soon wasted. — Man being forme 

 action, and duties always devolving upon | 

 industry and economy cannot be dispensed 4 

 in any situation in which he can be placed' 

 is the want ofthese, that prevents the succi 

 so many in the various mechanical brancht 

 well as in the learned professions — and it i( 

 primary cause which calls in the aid of th 

 solvent law to close up the concerns of so I 

 in the mercantile world. 



" The indolent person soon loses the t 

 dence, and of course the patronage of his 



