42 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AUG. 10, 1843. 



ed him therefore for specimins of the two siibstan- 

 cea. The marl, which had entirely failed, proved 

 to be a white tenacious marl, consi.sting entirely of 

 powdered hinc, apparently unmixed with any other 

 description of earth. The blue clay, which had 

 succeeded, was in fact a mirl also, containing a 

 large quantity of lime mi.-ied with clay and fine 

 sand. The peaty soil when mi.xed with acid 

 threw up bubbles copiously ; so that as Dr Buck- 

 land had anticipated, it contained enough lime in 

 its natural state. In another part of the fens a 

 white marl lies so near the surface of the peat that 

 it is purposely brought up by the plough, and there- 

 by forms what is locally called grey-land, a soil of 

 known fertility in that district. I am not aware 

 whether this peat contains lime naturally. 



But although wo must remain for the present 

 uncertain as the application of Inne to peat, there 

 arc some rules which those who are desirous <if 

 reclaiming their peaty land may gather from the 

 practice of English farmers, to serve for their 

 guidance until further discoveries shall have been 

 made. Peat must in the first place be laid dry by 

 open ditches, and further, where necessary, by 

 under-drains also. It may be pared and burned, 

 and sown with a shallow furrow (tor all farmers 

 agree that this first ploughing should bo shallow) 

 to rape, swedes, or turnips — sown early for the 

 reasons already given. It is next necessary that 

 some other earth should be laid on the peat ; if 

 the subsoil be clay, that clay should be brought up 

 from wide trenches — if it be gravel or sand, I 

 would bring up a portion of it, however poor it 

 may be : if clay be near at hand, I would cart it 

 upon the peat. 



There is, however, some difficulty in carting 

 clay upon peaty ground, for the lumps of clay 

 must be spread on the ground and exposed to alter- 

 nate frosts and thaws, expanding and contracting 

 them, which gradually break down by the spring. 

 The peat, however, is generally so soft in winter, 

 that it will scarcely bear up a loaded cart, unless 

 during a frost, so that the work is often interrupted. 

 The clods may also be reduced by exposure to al- 

 ternate drought and moisture in summer ; but this 

 is a less convenient time for carting the clay, and 

 It must take place on the rye-grass, which is there- 

 fore lost. If spread in winter after rape or swedes, 

 the clay is harrowed in dry spring weather, and 

 plowed in with a two inch furrow, or scarified. I 

 would on no account burn the surface again after 

 it has been spread, because it is well known that 

 clay once brought to the state of brick, however 

 finely ground, never recovers its quality of cohe- 

 sion. 



It must be remembered, also, that there is a wide 

 difference among clays ; and, where the heavy ex- 

 pense of carting is incurred, it is of course impor- 

 tant to choose the most effective clay, in order that 

 a smaller bulk may be sufficient. Clay for this 

 purpo.se should be, I believe, of the most solid and 

 glutinous kind. However wet the place from 

 whence it is taken, it should feel solid when rolled 

 in the hand; if it bo loose and liquid, it probably 

 contains too much fine sand ; if gritty, coarse sand. 



Generally in draining, but almost always in peat 

 draining, it is necessary to dig deep open ditches 

 as main outfalls for the water. The strand or 

 clay thus thrown out, should not be left in a high 

 ridge, but should be spread by wheelbarrows over 

 the peat land in winter. The steep hanks, howev- 

 er, of a ditch five feet deep will crumble in year by 

 year, and, unkss the water-course be constantly 



cleared, there will arise some obstruction. But in 

 Scotland, as Mr Morton informs me, there is a very 

 neat practice of shelving back the banks from the 

 water's edge by a gradual'slope of 15 or 20 feet in- 

 to the field, so that the new level of the water- 

 course is thus placed for ever beyond the chance 

 of neglect ; and if the field be arable, the plow 

 works down to the very brink. The appearance of 

 this Scotch practice is exceedingly neat, and its 

 application to peat land is, I see, very easy. 



MR EVERETT AT THE DINNER OF THE 

 ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the Royal Agricultural Associ- 

 ation in Bristol, held during the week ending July 

 16, Mr Everett, the American Minister, was present. 

 The Bristol Mirror, in mentioning this tact, says: 



" We rejoice that one distinguished foreigner 

 was there to witness the scene, and to heighten its 

 interests by the topics which he introduced and 

 adorned with the charms of American eloquence, 

 in our mutual mother tongue. Happy will it be 

 for the two greatest countries of the earth, if the 

 cordial wishes of that hour shall be realized; if so 

 genuine and enthusiastic an expression of public 

 opinion in favor of the ambassador and the people 

 of that great kindred nation, and the continuance of 

 amicable relations between us, shall have its 

 weight in the councils of the two nations, and in- 

 cline the wavering balance to the side of peace. 

 Strong in their unanimity, England and America 

 might devote their energies to promote the welfare 

 of mankind, to prevent tyranny and warlike aggres- 

 sion, and instead of weakening each other by the 

 arts of mutual destruction, might run together the 

 happy career of civilization and improvement, scat- 

 tering their blessings in both hemispheres." 



Mr Everett made several speeches in the course 

 of the week, but his principal addresses were at 

 the great dinner of the Society. The Chairman 

 introduced the toast which called up Mr f'verett, 

 as follows : 



"The next toast which I have to propose to you 

 is that of the health of the foreign ambassadors 

 present. (Cheers.) I am aware that in strict di- 

 plomatic language, the term foreign minister must 

 be applied to his excellency on my right hand — 

 the Minister of the United States. But, gentle- 

 men, in the reception that you will give him, you 

 will shew that you do not forget that his ancestors 

 are ours — (loud cheers) — that we are united in the 

 ties of one common language and of one common 

 blood — (continued cheering) — that it was from 

 these shores embarked those enterprising men who 

 in the wilds and desolate wastes raised up a mighty 

 nation. (Cheers.) In a word, gentlemen, to bor- 

 row the language that is peculiar to our class, it is 

 the children of old England who have taken the 

 occupation of the Western continent upon a lease, 

 which I hope and trust they will find both advan- 

 tageous and interminable. (Laughter and cheers.) 

 Gentlemen, I am sure that you will allow me to 

 request that his Exctdlency when he communicates 

 with our distant relations on the other side of the 

 Atlantic, will assure them how welcome they will 

 always be to the shores of their mother country — 

 (loud cheering) — to remind them that our avocations 

 at least, are based on faith — (cheers) — and that we 

 earnestly pray that they may long continue united 

 with us in the bonds of good will, and to our mutual 

 advantage. (Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, I will 

 not longer detain you from expressing the good 



feeling which I am sure you are prepared to exhi- 

 bit, but at once give you — The Health of the Hon. 

 Edtoard Everett, the Minister of the United Stales.''' 

 — (Vehement cheering.) 



The Hon. Edward Everett upon rising, was re- 

 ceived with several rounds of applause, which hav- 

 ing subsided, he said — 



" May it please your Royal Highness, Mr Hand- 

 ley, my Lords and Gentlemen : — I beg that you 

 will believe me when I tell you I am deeply sensi- 

 ble of the very kind feeling which you have been 

 pleased to express towards myself and my country. 

 I assure you, sir, without the least affectation, that 

 I want words to do justice to my emotion. To be 

 received with so much kindness so far from my na- 

 tive home, by such a company as this, almost, con- 

 fuses and overpowers me: and let me say, sir, that 

 there is no part of this prosperous country where 

 such a reception could have been more welcome to 

 me than it is here ; — (cheers) — for it is a singular 

 circumstance that the history of North America 

 runs hack to this very point, — its very lirst chapter 

 was written in the chamber of the Merchant Ven- 

 turers' Society at Bristol. (Hear, hear.) I am not 

 now alluding to that little coincidence mentioned 

 the other day, that Columbus himself was once a 

 resident here ; this is a mere casual circumstance : 

 but Sebastian Cabot, sir, the great discoverer of 

 North .America, who in the year ]'197 sailed forth 

 from these waters, discovered Newfoundland, and 

 then ran down the northern coast to Cape Florida, 

 was a native of Bristol, and started from this city 

 upon his enterprise. Vou all know that it was 

 under the auspices of the Plymouth Company that 

 the settlement named New England was begun ; 

 and the rock upon which the fathers of New Eng- 

 land first stepped, was called, and is called, to the 

 present day, Plymouth Rock, from that circum- 

 stance. Again, I would mention, that the father 

 of William Penn, the great founder of Pennsylva- 

 nia, lies buried in the vaults of St. Mary Radcliff 

 — (Hear, hear) — and though William Penn himself 

 was not a native of Bristol, yet there is no doubt of 

 the circumstance, that in his youth he was accus- 

 tomed to hear the stories of the navigators from the 

 western regions, which first led his thoughts to the 

 formation of a settlement there ; and I am glad to 

 find, sir, that it seems to be the purpose of the 

 Merchant Venturers of Bristol to keep up th:it com- 

 munication which they were the first to discover. 

 (Loud cheers.) 



I went up at an early hour this morning to the 

 tower of Blaize Castle — an elevated point, com- 

 manding such a panorama — a more beautiful one 

 my eye never rested upon — but there was one ob- 

 ject which arrested my attention : I could scarcely 

 discern it in the distance, but I saw what seemed 

 to be the masts of the great steam ship Great West- 

 ern, which, the day after tomorrow is going to 

 launch into the deep. 



You desired me, sir, in my next communication, 

 to let the people of America know the kind feeling 

 expressed towards them at the table: I will do so : 

 (Cheers) — and, sir, in fourteen days from the time 

 that vessel sails, she will have carried the tidings 

 to my native country, and almost before those cor- 

 dial cheers have died away here, they will be re- 

 echoed from beyond the Atlantic. (Loud cheers.) 

 I can assure yon that this community between us, 

 resting on our common descent, cemented by one 

 common language and kindred blood, is not con- 

 fined to speculation in business, or commercial ad- 



